Albert Gallatin Riddle (May 28, 1816 – May 15, 1902) was a

19th Century The 19th century began on 1 January 1801 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 (MCM). It was the 9th century of the 2nd millennium. It was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was Abolitionism, ...

American lawyer and politician who served one term as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

from 1861 to 1863.

Early life

Born in

Monson, Massachusetts Monson is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Monson Center lies at t ...

, Riddle moved with his parents to Newbury, in the Western Reserve of Ohio, in 1817. He completed preparatory studies, and then studied law.

Career

Riddle was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1840 and began practice in

Geauga County Geauga County ( ) is a county located in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat and largest city is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca language ...

, serving as

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

of that county from 1840 to 1846.

Early political career

He served as member of the

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in ...

from 1848 to 1850, and in 1848 called the first

Free Soil The Free Soil Party, also called the Free Democratic Party or the Free Democracy, was a political party in the United States from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was focused on opposing the expansion of slav ...

convention in Ohio. Riddle moved to

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

, in 1850. He was elected prosecuting attorney in 1856, and in 1859 he defended the Oberlin slave rescuers.

Congress

He served as a Republican in the

Thirty-seventh Congress The 37th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1861 ...

(March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1863), making speeches in favor of arming

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

s, the first on this subject that were delivered in Congress, and others on emancipation in the

District of Columbia Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

and in vindication of

President Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War, defeating the Confederate State ...

. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1862.

Later career

After his term in Congress, Riddle served as

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

Matanzas, Cuba Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

, in 1863 and 1864. He then returned to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and again engaged in the practice of law. He was retained by the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

to aid in the prosecution of

John H. Surratt John Harrison Surratt Jr. (April 13, 1844 – April 21, 1916) was an American Confederate spy who was accused of plotting with John Wilkes Booth to kidnap U.S. President Abraham Lincoln; he was also suspected of involvement in the Abraham Lin ...

as one of the accomplices in the murder of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. He also served as law officer of the District of Columbia 1877-1889. He was in charge of the law department at

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

for several years after its establishment.

Death and legacy

Riddle died at his home in

, on May 15, 1902. He was interred in

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

. His papers are at the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio. They include the unpublished manuscript ''Accounts of experiences in Cuba'' (1862–1864).

Works

* ''Students and Lawyers'', lectures (Washington, 1873) * ''Bart Ridgeley, a Story of Northern Ohio'' (Boston, 1873) * ''The Portrait, a Romance of Cuyahoga Valley'' (1874) * ''Alice Brand, a Tale of the Capitol'' (New York, 1875) * ''Life, Character, and Public Services of James A. Garfield'' (Cleveland, 1880) * ''The House of Ross'' (Boston, 1881) * ''Castle Gregory'' (Cleveland, 1882) * ''Hart and his Bear'' (Washington, 1883) * ''The Young Sugar Makers of the West Woods'' (Cleveland, 1885) * ''The Hunter of the Chagrin'' (1882) * ''Mark Loan, a Tale of the Western Reserve'' (1883) * ''Old Newberry and the Pioneers'' (1884) * ''Speeches and Arguments'' (Washington, 1886) * ''Life of Benjamin F. Wade'' (Cleveland, 1886) * ''Recollections of War Times, 1860–1865'' * ''Ansel's Cave: A Story of Early Life in the Western Reserve'' (Cleveland, 1893)

References

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Riddle, Albert Gallatin 1816 births 1902 deaths Ohio lawyers People from Monson, Massachusetts People from Geauga County, Ohio Politicians from Cleveland People associated with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives County district attorneys in Ohio 19th-century American diplomats Writers from Massachusetts Writers from Cleveland Consuls for the United States Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly