Mark Richards (politician)

Mark Richards
9th Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
In office 1830–1831
Preceded by	Henry Olin
Succeeded by	Lebbeus Egerton
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Vermont's At-large congressional district
In office March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1821
Preceded by	Luther Jewett
Succeeded by	Phineas White
Member of the Vermont Governor's Council
In office 1815–1816
Preceded by	William Hall Jr.
Succeeded by	Theophilus Crawford
In office 1813–1814
Preceded by	William Czar Bradley
Succeeded by	William Hall Jr.
Sheriff of Windham County, Vermont
In office 1806–1811
Preceded by	Samuel Fletcher
Succeeded by	Gilbert Dennison
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Westminster
In office 1834–1835
Preceded by	John Smith
Succeeded by	Vacant
In office 1832–1833
Preceded by	Cyrus Boynton
Succeeded by	John Smith
In office 1828–1829
Preceded by	Ebenezer Goodell
Succeeded by	Daniel Mason
In office 1826–1827
Preceded by	Gideon Warner
Succeeded by	Ebenezer Goodell
In office 1824–1825
Preceded by	Elijah Ranney Jr.
Succeeded by	Ebenezer Goodell
In office 1804–1805
Preceded by	Ephraim Ranney Jr.
Succeeded by	Ephraim Ranney Jr.
In office 1801–1802
Preceded by	Ephraim Ranney Jr.
Succeeded by	Stephen R. Bradley
Personal details
Born	(1760-07-15)July 15, 1760 Waterbury, Connecticut Colony, British America
Died	August 10, 1844(1844-08-10) (aged 84) Westminster, Vermont, U.S.
Resting place	Old Westminster Cemetery, Westminster, Vermont
Political party	Democratic-Republican
Spouse	Ann Ruggles (m. 1782-1841, her death)
Profession	Merchant

Mark Richards (July 15, 1760 – August 10, 1844) was an American politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont and as the ninth lieutenant governor of Vermont.

Biography

Richards was born in Waterbury in the Connecticut Colony on July 15, 1760, and received limited schooling. In 1776, he enlisted for the American Revolution. A private in the Continental Army, he served for several years, including the Battle of Red Bank, the 1777-1778 winter encampment at Valley Forge, the Battle of Monmouth, and the Battle of Stony Point. Richards moved to Boston after the war to work in a general store. In 1796 he moved to Westminster, Vermont, to open his own store.

Richards was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from 1801 to 1805. He served as sheriff of Windham County from 1806 to 1810 and was a Presidential elector in 1812. He served on the Governor’s council from 1813 to 1816.

Richards was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the US House of Representatives, and served from 1817 to 1821 as a member of the 15th and 16th United States Congress. He served again in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1824 to 1826, in 1828 and from 1832 to 1834. He was the Lieutenant Governor of Vermont from 1830 to 1831.

Death

Richards died on August 10, 1844, in Westminster, Vermont, and is interred in the Bradley tomb in the Old Westminster Cemetery in Westminster.

Family

In 1782, Richards married Ann Ruggles. Their daughter Sarah was the wife of William Czar Bradley.

External links

• United States Congress. "Mark Richards (id: R000217)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Information from the Vermont Archives
• govtrack.us
• Mark Richards at Find a Grave
• The Political Graveyard