Carlos Wood Riddick (February 25, 1872 – July 9, 1960) was an American politician and businessman. He served as a Republican member of the U.S.

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from

Montana's 2nd congressional district Montana's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the United States House of Representatives that was apportioned after the 2020 United States census. The first candidates ran in the 2022 elections for a seat in the 118th Uni ...

Early life and education

Riddick was born in Wells,

Faribault County, Minnesota Faribault County () is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,921. Its county seat is Blue Earth. History The county was founded in 1855. It was named for Jean-Baptiste Faribault, a settler and ...

and was educated in the public schools in Michigan. He attended

Albion College Albion College is a private liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students in 2014. They participate in NCAA Division III and the Michigan Interco ...

in Albion, Michigan and

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducati ...

in Appleton, Wisconsin. His sister,

Florence Riddick Boys Florence Alice Riddick Boys (December 3, 1873 – May 10, 1963) was an American writer, clubwoman, suffragist, and state probation officer in Indiana. Early life Boys was born in 1873 in Litchfield, Minnesota, the daughter of Isaac Hancock Ridd ...

(1873–1963), was a journalist, suffragist, and state official in Indiana.

Career

From 1899 to 1910, Riddick was editor of the ''

Winamac Winamac was the name of a number of Potawatomi leaders and warriors beginning in the late 17th century. The name derives from a man named Wilamet, a Native American from an eastern tribe who in 1681 was appointed to serve as a liaison between Ne ...

Republican'' newspaper in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. Following that he was a rancher and County Assessor of Fergus Co., Montana. In 1918,

Montana's at-large congressional district Montana is represented in the United States House of Representatives by one at-large congressional district, among the 435 in the United States Congress. The district was the most populous U.S. congressional district, with just over 1 million c ...

, which elected two separate members, was abolished, and the 1st and

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Second of arc, an angular measurement unit, ...

districts were created in its place. One of the at-large representatives,

John M. Evans John Morgan Evans (January 7, 1863 – March 12, 1946) was an American Democratic politician. Biography He was born in Sedalia, Missouri. Evans went to the United States Military Academy and then graduated from University of Missouri. He studi ...

, opted to run for re-election in the 1st district, while the other,

Jeannette Rankin Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was an American politician and women's rights advocate who became the first woman to hold federal office in the United States in 1917. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representa ...

, instead opted to run for the Senate. Riddick ran in the newly created 2nd district, and was narrowly elected over Harry B. Mitchell, the Democratic nominee. He was re-elected in a landslide over M. McCusker in 1920. Rather than seek re-election to a third term, he opted to run for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...

to replace retiring Senator Henry L. Myers. Riddick won the

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 ...

primary over

State Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney gener ...

Wellington D. Rankin, but in the general election, he lost to

Burton K. Wheeler Burton Kendall Wheeler (February 27, 1882January 6, 1975) was an attorney and an American politician of the Democratic Party in Montana, which he represented as a United States senator from 1923 until 1947. Born in Massachusetts, Wheeler began ...

, the Democratic nominee, by a wide margin. After leaving politics, Riddick served as president of the ''National Republic'', a magazine published in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He was the operator of a home development at Sylvan Shores in South River, Maryland.

Personal life

In his later years, Riddick lived in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. His son, Merrill K. Riddick, was an aviator and perennial candidate. Riddick died on July 9, 1960 in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. He is interred at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland.

References

External links

US Congress biographical directory

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govtrack.us
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddick, Carl W. People from Wells, Minnesota Albion College alumni Lawrence University alumni Editors of Indiana newspapers Methodists from Montana 1872 births 1960 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Montana People from Pulaski County, Indiana Journalists from Montana