Richard Thatcher (March 23, 1846 – November 28, 1909) was an American educator, and Civil War veteran. He was a school administrator in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

and

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, hotel operator and the first President of Territorial Normal School, now the

University of Central Oklahoma The University of Central Oklahoma (UCO or Central State) is a public university in Edmond, Oklahoma. It is the third largest university in Oklahoma, with more than 17,000 students and approximately 434 full-time and 400 adjunct faculty. Founde ...

Early life

Richard Thatcher was born on March 23, 1846, in

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 census. It is a part of the River Bend area in the Metro-East region of the ...

. His father, John Wesley Thatcher was a reverend. At the age of 15 he left to join 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 member of the

111th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment {{Infobox military unit , unit_name= 111th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment , image=Flag of Illinois.svg , image_size = 100 , caption=Illinois flag , dates= 18 September 1862, to 7 June 1865 , country= United States , allegiance= Union , b ...

. He was captured on July 22, 1864, and sent to the notorious Andersonville Prison, where he began to have chronic respiratory issues. He was later released during a prisoner exchange. After the war he attended

McKendree College McKendree University (McK) is a private university in Lebanon, Illinois. Founded in 1828 as the Lebanon Seminary, it is the oldest college or university in Illinois. McKendree enrolls approximately 2,300 undergraduates and nearly 700 graduate ...

Lebanon, Illinois Lebanon is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,418 at the 2010 census and had decreased to an estimated 4,256 as of 2018. Like many other places in " Little Egypt" or Southern Illinois, Lebanon was named afte ...

, and graduated in 1878.

Academic career

Thatcher would be a superintendent in Kansas, before moving to

Edmond, Oklahoma Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. The population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the fifth largest cit ...

, in 1890. He operated the Central Hotel until 1891 when he became the first president of Territorial Normal School. He would hold that post until 1893. He would become principal of Edmond Schools from 1894 to 1895. UCO would later name Thatcher Hall in his honor.

Personal life

Thatcher married Melissa D. DeFord a native of Ashley, Illinois. They had five children, four daughters of whom survived infancy, Edna, Mae, Blanche, and Ethel. Thatcher was also a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, reaching the 33rd degree, and was the second master of the Edmond Lodge.

Death

Thatcher died on November 28, 1909, in Edmond, Oklahoma from complications from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. He was 63 years old.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thatcher, Richard 1846 births 1909 deaths People from Alton, Illinois McKendree University alumni Union Army soldiers American Civil War prisoners of war Presidents of the University of Central Oklahoma University of Central Oklahoma faculty American Freemasons 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Oklahoma