Richard Henry Cardwell (August 1, 1845 – March 19, 1931) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

and jurist. He was

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-number ...

1887–1895, and a justice of the state

Supreme Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative ...

1895–1916.

Early life

Cardwell was born in

Madison, North Carolina Madison is a town located in Rockingham County, North Carolina. At the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 2,132. Madison is part of the Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area of the Piedmont Triad metro region. It was ...

. His father, Richard Perrin Caldwell, died when he was an infant, and he had great difficulty in obtaining an education. As a youth, he attended public school and worked on the family farm in the summer and fall. He attended, for brief sessions, the Beulah Male Institute and the Madison Male Academy.Tyler, Lyon Gardiner (1907).
''Men of Mark in Virginia''
Vol. 2, pp. 59-61. Men of Mark Publishing Company.

Career

In 1863, he became a private soldier in a North Carolina company of the Confederate Army and served until the end of the war. He then returned to his home but, in 1869, moved to

Hanover County, Virginia Hanover County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,979. Its county seat is Hanover Courthouse. Hanover County is a part of the Greater Richmond Region. History Located in the wester ...

, and, four years later, to

Doswell, Virginia Doswell is an unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Hanover County, Virginia, Hanover County in the Central Region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. Originally called Hanover Junction, it was located on t ...

, where he lived for two years. Because he was devoted to the study of law, he carried on his education by studying at night and, for a while, in the office of Samuel C. Redd. He was admitted to the bar in 1874 and began practice in Richmond.Lewis, Virgil A. & Brock, R. A. (1884)
''History of Virginia from Settlement of Jamestown to Close of the Civil War''
Vol. II, p. 773. H. H. Hardesty. From 1881 to 1895, he was a member of the

from Hanover County, serving as

from 1887 onward. In 1894 he was elected to the

. He was made president of the court on June 12, 1916, but resigned on November 6, 1916.

Personal life

Cardwell died at his home, Prospect Hill, on March 19, 1931, and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in

Ashland, Virginia Ashland is a town in Hanover County, Virginia, United States, located north of Richmond along Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 7,225, up from 6,619 at the 2000 census. Ashland is named after the Le ...

. His son, William D. Cardwell, was Speaker of the House of Delegates from 1906 to 1908.

Notes and references

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cardwell, Richard H. 1845 births 1931 deaths Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia Speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers People from Hanover County, Virginia People from Madison, North Carolina People of North Carolina in the American Civil War 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American judges 20th-century American judges