James Prioleau "Dick" Richards (August 31, 1894 – February 21, 1979) was a lawyer, judge, 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 ...

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 South Carolina between 1933 and 1957. He later served as a special ambassador under Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Background

Born in Liberty Hill, South Carolina, Richards attended in-state county schools and Clemson College, in Clemson.

Career

During the First World War, Richards served overseas as a private, corporal, sergeant, and second lieutenant in the Trench Mortar Battery, Headquarters Company, 118th Infantry Regiment, 30th Division from 1917 to 1919.

Lawyer and judge

Richards graduated from the law department of the University of South Carolina at Columbia in 1921 and was admitted to the bar the same year, commencing practice in Lancaster, South Carolina. He served as judge of the probate court of

Lancaster County, South Carolina Lancaster County is a county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 96,016, Its county seat is Lancaster, which has an urban population of 23,979. The county was created in 1785. Lancaster Coun ...

from 1923 to 1933.

Congressman

Richards was elected as a

to the

seventy-third Congress The 73rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1933, ...

and reelected to the eleven succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1957). A confidential 1943 analysis of the House Foreign Affairs Committee by

Isaiah Berlin Sir Isaiah Berlin (6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and talks ...

for the British

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * Unit ...

described Richards as having "supported the Administration on foreign policy before and after

Pearl Harbour Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

all the way with the single exception of the vote on lifting belligerent zones for American ships three weeks before Pearl Harbour ... Probably internationalist rather than nationalist in outlook." His voting record was "consistently pro-British." He voted in favor of the 1941 Lend Lease Act and in favor of the 1944 Lend Lease Act. In 1947-8, he served on the Herter Committee. During the Eighty-second and Eighty-fourth Congresses he served as chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. In 1953 Richards served as delegate to the Japanese Peace Conference and United States delegate to the United Nations. Hoping to retire from Congress, he was not a candidate for reelection in 1956 to the Eighty-fifth Congress. He was a signatory to the 1956

Southern Manifesto The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the 84th United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manife ...

that opposed the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in '' Brown v. Board of Education''.

Later life

He served as special assistant to President Eisenhower, January 1957-January 1958, for the Middle East, following announcement of the Eisenhower Doctrine.FOREIGN RELATIONS: Doctrine's First Fruits
'' Time'', April 29, 1957 With this position, Richards held rank of ambassador. Following this, he resided in Lancaster, South Carolina and resumed the practice of law.

Death

Richards died there on February 21, 1979 and was interred in Liberty Hill Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Liberty Hill, S. C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, James Prioleau 1894 births 1979 deaths United States Army officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina 20th-century American politicians University of South Carolina alumni People from Kershaw County, South Carolina Military personnel from South Carolina