John Richards (April 18, 1753 – November 13, 1822) was a

United States 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 ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Early life and education

Born in New Hanover, he was educated under private tutors.

Career

Richards was appointed as a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

during the Revolutionary War. He was appointed justice of the peace for

Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania Philadelphia County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the most populous county in Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, Philadelphia County had a population of 1,603,797. The county is the second smallest county in Pennsy ...

on June 6, 1777, a position he held until his death. He also served as judge of the Montgomery County

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

in 1784, and was a delegate to the Federal

Constitutional Convention of 1787 The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. Although the convention was intended to revise the league of states and first system of government under the Articles of Confederation, the intention fr ...

. Richards was elected as a

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

to the Fourth Congress, serving from January 18, 1796 to March 3, 1797. He presented a memorial on December 10, 1795, claiming election since the governor had declined to issue a certificate to either candidate. The committee of election reported that James Morris had been duly elected, but died subsequent to the election so that the seat had become vacant. This report was recommitted and subsequently a resolution was reported that John Richards was entitled to the seat, which was adopted by the House on January 18, 1796, and Mr. Richards took his seat the same day. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1796. He was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate (1801 to 1807). An

ironmaster An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain. The ironmaster was usually a large ...

, Richards also engaged in mercantile and agricultural pursuits. He died in New Hanover; interment was in Faulkner Swamp (Lutheran) Church Cemetery.

Matthias Richards Matthias Richards (February 26, 1758 – August 4, 1830) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Early life and education Matthias Richards was born near Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He had many siblings, includin ...

, John's younger brother, was also a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.

References

The Political GraveyardHouse Document No. 108-222, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress 1774 - 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, John Pennsylvania state senators Pennsylvania Federalists American Lutherans American ironmasters 1753 births 1822 deaths Democratic-Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas