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(Source: 20th Century History of Steubenville & Jefferson Co.,
Ohio by Joseph B. Doyle - Publ Richmond-Arnold Publ. Co. - Chicago - 1910)
HON. REES GRIFFITH
RICHARDS, judge of the Court of Common Pleas of
Jefferson County, and formerly a prominent member of both
the upper and lower houses of the state legislature, as
well as lieutenant governor, has still further claim to
the respect and consideration of his fellow citizens,
being one of the honored survivors of the great Civil War,
in which he served gallantly from 1861 until 1865.
Judge Richards was born July 22, 1842, in Wales, a
country that has contributed largely to the best
citizenship of the United States.
In 1852 the parents of Judge Richards, William G.
and Sarah (Griffith) Richards, brought the children to
America and the father established himself in the
blacksmith business in Tioga County, Pennsylvania.
Subsequently he acquired land and engaged in farming in
that section until his death in 1863, while his son was
absent assisting in maintaining the integrity of his
adopted country.
Judge Richards as a boy was given the best
schooling that his father could secure for him; he was
also encouraged to learn a self supporting trade, and thus
he became a skilled wagonmaker. While no ex__ency of
life has ever compelled him to put this knowledge to
practical use, he willingly concedes the value of the
discipline. He was only sixteen years of age when he
taught his first term of school, and as he continued to
teach, he alternated this occupation with school
attendance. The outbreak of the Civil War gave a new
current to his life, for in September, 1861, he enlisted
for service in the Federal Army, becoming g a member of
Company G, 45th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, in which
he served with noted valor until he was honorable mustered
out at Harrisburg, Pa., in August, 1865. During the
long interim he participated in army stirring scenes and
memorable battles and his promotion from the ranks was
rapid. On September 14, 1862, his commission as
captain of his company reached him, the direct outcome of
particularly meritorious service on the field at South
Mountain. He took part in a number of the early
skirmishes and fought at South Mountain, Antietam,
Fredericksburg, Blue Springs, Campbell's Station,
Knoxville, Vicksburg, Jackson, the Wilderness,
Spottsylvania Court House and Petersburg, being taken
prisoner at the latter place on July 30, 1864. His
escape from prison on February 16, 1865, and his
subsequent four weeks of wandering and concealment in the
miasmatic swamps and forest of several southern states
before he reached the Union lines, furnishes material for
a thrilling story of endurance and sustained courage.
He reached Knoxville, Tenn., on March 16, and joined his
regiment at Alexandria, being welcomed as one snatched
from the jaws of a prison death. From that time on
until the close of the war he was a member of the staff of
General Curtin. His only wound during the whole
period of service was one received at the battle of
Jackson, which only temporarily affected him.
In December, 1865, Mr. Richards removed to
Youngstown, O. The bent of his mind was in the
direction of the law, but at that time he did not clearly
see his way to devoting his attention to its exclusive
study, and in his new surroundings embarked in a
mercantile business, continuing there for two years and
then removing to Irondale, Jefferson County, where he
engaged in mercantile pursuits for the following six
years. In the meanwhile he had become a prominent
factor in Republican politics and in 1873 he was elected a
member of the state legislature, in which he served two
terms. In 1876 he was admitted to the bar, but had
scarcely entered into practice before he was again called
into the political arena and in the fall of 1877 he was
elected to the state senate. In this honorable body
he served for two full terms, and during his last term, on
account of the absence of the lieutenant governor, it was
necessary to make a choice of one fitted to fill that
office temporarily and Senator Richards was
selected for that important position. In the fall of
1881 he was elected lieutenant governor and when he
retired to private life after the expiration of his term
he had served the state of Ohio four years in one of its
highest executive offices. Years of successful law
practice followed, he having established his home, in the
meantime, at Steubenville, and subsequently he was again
called into public life, being elected common pleas judge
of Jefferson County. Few men are better qualified
for judicial position than Judge Richards, and on
the bench as in legislative halls his efficiency has been
universally recognized.
On November 22, 1865, Judge Richards was married
to Miss Catherine C. Rees, daughter of David and
Mary (Morgan) Rees, of Tioga County, Pa., and of Welsh
extraction. He was married secondly to Miss
Elizabeth Johnson, who is a daughter of Dr. Thomas
Johnson and a member of a well known family of
Jefferson County. Three children have been born to
this second marriage, of whom Catherine and
Sarah are deceased and Margaret resides at
home. The beautiful family home in Steubenville is
at No. 609 North Fourth Street. Judge Richards
is identified with the Masons and the Grand Army of the
Republic.
(Source: 20th Century History of Steubenville & Jefferson Co., Ohio by Joseph
B. Doyle - Publ Richmond-Arnold Publ. Co. - Chicago - 1910 - 547) |
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