David Ritchie (August 19, 1812 – January 24, 1867) was a Whig, Opposition Party and

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 ...

member of the

U.S. 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

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, ...

Biography

Born in

Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Canonsburg is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, southwest of Pittsburgh. Canonsburg was laid out by Colonel John Canon in 1789 and incorporated in 1802. The population was 9,735 at the 2020 census. The town li ...

on August 19, 1812, Ritchie graduated from Jefferson College in Canonsburg in 1829, and subsequently from a university in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

, Germany. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1835 and began his legal practice in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Ritchie was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-third Congress, reelected as an Opposition Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress, and elected as a Republican to the Thirty-fifth Congress. He served as chairman of the

United States House Committee on Revolutionary Claims The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...

during the Thirty-fourth Congress. He was appointed associate judge of the court of common pleas of

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Allegheny County () is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Southwestern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, following Philadelphia Co ...

, in 1862 and served nine months. Following the end of his legislative career, Ritchie resumed the practice of law.

Death

Ritchie died in Pittsburgh on January 24, 1867."Ritchie, David," ''The Political Graveyard''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, David 1812 births 1867 deaths People from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Whigs Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania lawyers Washington & Jefferson College alumni 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas