Richard Cann McMullen (January 2, 1868 – February 18, 1944) was an American manufacturer and politician from Wilmington, in

New Castle County, Delaware New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

. He was a member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, who served as

Governor of Delaware A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

Early life and family

McMullen was born at

Porters Porters may refer to: * Porters, Virginia, an unincorporated community in Virginia, United States * Porters, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community in Wisconsin, United States * Porters Ski Area, a ski resort in New Zealand * ''Porters'' (TV series ...

, near

Glasgow, Delaware Glasgow is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 14,303 at the 2010 census. History La Grange and the James Stewart House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Geog ...

, son of James and Sarah Boulden McMullen. He worked as a farm hand to meet expenses while studying at Goldey Commercial College. He married Florence Hutchinson in 1895 and they had three children, Laura B., Richard H. and Florence and were members of the Methodist Church.

Professional and political career

McMullen learned the tanning and leather business while working at the Mullin and Pierson Leather Plant, later to become the Amalgamated Leather Company. In 1917 he and two partners founded the Standard Kid Company and later became vice president, then general manager of the Allied Kid Company in Wilmington. These companies were tanneries and leading manufactures of leather products. As a prominent businessman he had served two terms on the Wilmington City Council, had served on the Public Utilities and Unemployment Insurance Commission, and had turned down an offer to run for Mayor of Wilmington.

Governor of Delaware

After reluctantly agreeing to run, he was elected Governor of Delaware in 1936, defeating

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Harry L. Cannon, and Isaac D. Short, a Republican running as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

. McMullen was the first Democratic governor in 36 years and throughout his term was frustrated with his inability to replace his political opponents in state government. As his term was during the latter part of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, public works projects were going on throughout the state, including the opening of the Roosevelt Inlet at

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

, a new bridge over

Indian River Inlet The Indian River is a river and estuary, approximately long, in Sussex County, Delaware, Sussex County in southern Delaware in the United States. The river is named after a Native Americans in the United States, Native American reservation that wa ...

and a couple of new stations for the

State Police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...

.
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Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legisla ...

''(sessions while Governor)'' , - !Year !Assembly ! !Senate Majority !President
''pro tempore'' ! !House Majority !Speaker , - , 1937-1938 , 109th , , ,

, , William A. Simonton , , , Democratic , , John R. Fader , - , 1939-1940 , 110th , , ,

, , David W. Steele , , ,

, , Frank R. Zebley , -

Death and legacy

McMullen was again nominated as the Democratic Party candidate for governor in 1940, but suffered a heart attack a month before the election and withdrew from the campaign. He died at Wilmington and is buried there in the Riverview Cemetery. Richard McMullen gravestone

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. The governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four-year term.
{, class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center" , -bgcolor=#cccccc !colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" , Public offices , - ! Office ! Type ! Location ! Began office ! Ended office ! notes , - ,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dire ...

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, January 19, 1937 , January 21, 1941 ,
{, class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center" , -bgcolor=#cccccc !colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" , Election results , - !Year !Office ! !Subject !Party !Votes !% ! !Opponent !Party !Votes !% , - , 1936 ,

, , , Richard C. McMullen , , Democratic , , 65,437 , , 51% , , , Harry L. Cannon
Isaac D. Short , ,

Independent Republican , , 52,782
8,400 , , 42%
7%

References

* * * *

Images

Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery
''Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover.''

External links

Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a statewide historical institution with several buildings, including Old Town Hall and the Delaware History Muse ...

website
505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161 *

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

Library website
181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965 {{DEFAULTSORT:McMullen, Richard C. 1868 births 1965 deaths Burials in New Castle County, Delaware Methodists from Delaware Businesspeople from Wilmington, Delaware Democratic Party governors of Delaware Goldey–Beacom College alumni