Richard Mott (July 21, 1804 – January 22, 1888) was mayor of

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

, and a two-term

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

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

from 1855 to 1859.

Biography

Born to

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

parents in

Mamaroneck, New York Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of Ma ...

, Mott attended a Quaker boarding school and seminary in

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later orga ...

. In 1815, he moved with his parents to New York City, in 1818 became a clerk in a store, and in 1824 engaged in banking. He moved to

, in 1836 and engaged in the real estate business and other enterprises. He assisted in building the first railroad west of Utica, from Toledo to Adrian, and served as mayor of Toledo in 1845 and 1846. Mott was a

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 ...

in politics until 1848, when he entered actively into the antislavery movement. He was elected as an

Opposition Party Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...

candidate to the Thirty-fourth and reelected as a

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 ...

to the Thirty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1855 - March 3, 1859). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1858. He returned to Toledo, and engaged in banking and the real estate business. He served as chairman of the citizens' military committee during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Mott was also an advocate of

woman suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

Death

He died in Toledo on January 22, 1888. He was interred in Mount Hope Cemetery in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

Family

He was the brother of

James Mott James Mott (20 June 1788 – 26 January 1868) was a Quaker leader, teacher, merchant, and anti-slavery activist. He was married to suffragist leader Lucretia Mott. Life and work James was born in Cow Neck in North Hempstead on Long Island, t ...

and brother-in-law of the American female agitator,

Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott (''née'' Coffin; January 3, 1793 – November 11, 1880) was an American Quaker, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer. She had formed the idea of reforming the position of women in society when she was amongs ...

and brother-in-law to abolitionist

Lindley Murray Moore Lindley Murray Moore (May 31, 1788 in Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, Canada – August 14, 1871, in Rochester, New York, US) was a Canadian-American abolitionist, and educator. Early life Born into a Quaker family that had been forced to flee ...

Notes

References

* * ;Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mott, Richard 1804 births 1888 deaths People from Mamaroneck, New York American Quakers Ohio Democrats Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio Ohio Republicans Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives Mayors of Toledo, Ohio American abolitionists American suffragists Male feminists 19th-century American politicians Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery (Rochester) Quaker abolitionists Quaker feminists