Frederick William Richmond (November 15, 1923 – December 28, 2019) was an American politician who served as a Democratic four-term 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 New York from 1975 to 1982.

Early life

Richmond was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Frances (née Rosen) and George Richmond; his father was a lawyer and his mother a homemaker. He graduated from

Roxbury Memorial High School Roxbury Memorial High School is a defunct four-year public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades. Originally founded as Roxbury High School, the school was situated at 26 Townsend Street, in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston ...

in 1940 and enrolled at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

for a year before transferring to

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, where he majored in

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

and served as advertising manager of ''

The Harvard Lampoon ''The Harvard Lampoon'' is an undergraduate humor publication founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Overview The ''Harvard Lampoon'' publication was founded in 1876 by seven undergraduates ...

''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1943 to 1945 before returning to Boston University, where he received his undergraduate degree in 1946. In college, he supported himself by playing the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

and forming the Freddie Richmond Swing Band.

Politics

He served as deputy finance chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1958 until 1960 and was a delegate to the

1964 Democratic National Convention The 1964 Democratic National Convention of the Democratic Party, took place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey from August 24 to 27, 1964. President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a full term. Senator Hubert H. Humphrey of Minn ...

. He was also member of the New York City Council from 1973 until 1974 when he was elected to the US Congress in 1974 and represented

New York's 14th congressional district New York's 14th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives located in New York City, represented by Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The district includes the eastern part of The Bronx ...

from January 3, 1975, until August 25, 1982. Upon his election, Richmond joined the House Agriculture Committee where he spent many years to develop new support for federally funded inner city gardens which he hoped would spread across the nation. Due to his work, and with help from House veterans in Congress like Jamie Whitten, the Urban Gardening Program (UGP) was created.

Business

From the 1950s to the 1980s he built a conglomerate, incorporated in 1960 as Walco National, buying up and usually improving the operations of a diverse group of smaller operating companies. His business career was not without notoriety. Richmond was also known as an opportunist who skirted ethics. In one instance, he was accused of involvement in greenmail, the purchase of strategic blocks of shares for resale back to a target for a profit.

Personal

In April 1978, Richmond was arrested in Washington for soliciting sex from a 16-year-old boy. In 1982, Richmond was convicted on federal corruption charges, which included possession of marijuana and payment of an illegal gratuity to a Brooklyn Navy Yard employee. He resigned his seat and was found guilty of making illegal payments to a government employee and marijuana possession. He was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison and fined $20,000. He served nine months in prison. With a personal fortune estimated at $32 million, Richmond was one of the wealthiest members of Congress. Richmond died on December 28, 2019, at a nursing home in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

, aged 96.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2009-05-19.
"What's Really Wrong with Fred Richmond?"
Jim Sleeper, ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

, March 30, 1982.
"The Rise and Fall of Fred Richmond"

Pete Hamill Pete Hamill (born William Peter Hamill; June 24, 1935August 5, 2020) was an American journalist, novelist, essayist and editor. During his career as a New York City journalist, he was described as "the author of columns that sought to capture th ...

and Denis Hamill, ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...

'', November 22, 1982. , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond, Fred 1923 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American Jews American businesspeople convicted of crimes American people convicted of drug offenses American people convicted of tax crimes American politicians convicted of bribery Boston University alumni Deaths from pneumonia in New York City Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Military personnel from Massachusetts New York (state) politicians convicted of crimes New York City Council members Politicians from Boston Swing bandleaders The Harvard Lampoon alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II