Richard Fletcher (January 8, 1788 – June 21, 1869) was a member of the

United States House of Representatives 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

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. The brother of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Ryland Fletcher Ryland Fletcher (February 18, 1799 – December 19, 1885) was an American farmer, politician, the 20th lieutenant governor of Vermont from 1854 to 1856, and then was the 24th governor of Vermont from October 10, 1856, to October 10, 1858. Ear ...

, he was born in

Cavendish, Vermont Cavendish is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The town was likely named after William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire. The population was 1,392 at the 2020 census. The town of Cavendish includes the unincorporated villages of ...

on January 8, 1788. He pursued classical studies and graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

in 1806. He taught school in

Salisbury, New Hampshire Salisbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,422 at the 2020 census. History While still part of Massachusetts, the town was granted as "Baker's Town" after Captain Thomas Baker in 1736. After the bo ...

, studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice there. He moved to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in 1819 and was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1839). Fletcher was not a candidate for renomination to the Twenty-sixth Congress. He served as a judge of the

Massachusetts Supreme Court The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously functi ...

1848–1853, and died in Boston on June 21, 1869. His interment was in Mount Auburn Cemetery in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

. Fletcher was elected as the first president of the

American Statistical Association The American Statistical Association (ASA) is the main professional organization for statisticians and related professionals in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest continuousl ...

, although by the ASA's own admission, he was "little more than a figurehead".

Sources

* Dartmouth College alumni 1788 births 1869 deaths Justices of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery Presidents of the American Statistical Association Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges {{Massachusetts-state-judge-stub

See also

Sources