Richard Small Ayer (October 9, 1829 – December 14, 1896) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Early and family life

Born in

Montville, Maine Montville is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,020 at the 2020 census. History Montville was incorporated on February 18, 1807, and was named for the French word for "mountain town". Geography According to the U ...

, Ayer attended the common schools.

Career

Ayer farmed and worked as a merchant for several years. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Ayers enlisted in 1861 in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

as a private in Company A, Fourth Regiment, Maine Volunteer Infantry. He was later promoted to first lieutenant and was mustered out as a captain on March 22, 1863, for disability. Ayer settled in Virginia's

Northern Neck The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia (along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula ...

in 1865 near

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. In 1867, voters elected him a delegate to the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1868 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1868, was an assembly of delegates elected by the voters to establish the fundamental law of Virginia following the American Civil War and the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution. The Convention, wh ...

, which was necessary for the Commonwealth to be readmitted to the Union since its prior constitution permitted slavery. Voters overwhelmingly ratified the new Constitution presented by the convention in 1869, and Virginia was readmitted to the Union. Later that year, voters elected Ayer as a

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 ...

to the Forty-first Congress. He defeated Conservative Joseph Eggleton Segar (whom the U.S. Congress had refused to seat the previous two sessions and again unsuccessfully claimed a seat in this Congress) as well as Independents Daniel M. Norton (an African American aligned with the

Readjuster Party The Readjuster Party was a bi-racial state-level political party formed in Virginia across party lines in the late 1870s during the turbulent period following the Reconstruction era that sought to reduce outstanding debt owed by the state. Readj ...

who also had served in that constitutional convention and would serve in the

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

) and George W. Lewis. Ayer served from January 31, 1870, until March 3, 1871. However, he was not a candidate for renomination in 1870. Former Confederate veteran and

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

John Critcher John Critcher (March 11, 1820 – September 27, 1901) was a U.S. Representative from Virginia. Early and family life Born at Oak Grove, Westmoreland County, Virginia on March 11, 1820 to John Critcher (1799–1854) and his wife, the former Sa ...

was elected and served one term. Ayer returned to farming, as well as moved back to

. He later ran for election there and served as member of the State house of representatives in 1888.

Death and legacy

Ayer died in

Liberty, Maine Liberty is a town in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The population was 934 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and is water. The largest water ...

, December 14, 1896. He was interred in Mount Repose Cemetery,

.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 21

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayer, Richard Small 1829 births 1896 deaths People from Montville, Maine Union Army officers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia People of Maine in the American Civil War Members of the Maine House of Representatives People from Richmond County, Virginia 19th-century American legislators 19th-century Virginia politicians