Benjamin Wood Richards (November 12, 1797 – July 12, 1851) was an American politician who served as the 59th

mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Cherelle Parker, who is the first woman to hold the ...

in 1829 and a second time from 1830 to 1832.

Early life and education

Richards was born in Batsto, New Jersey, on November 12, 1797, to Magaretta (Wood) and William Richards. In 1815, he graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

Career

In 1819, he established Richards & Bispham, which became the largest commission house in Philadelphia. He served on the

Philadelphia City Council The Philadelphia City Council is the legislative body of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It is composed of 17 councilmembers: ten members elected by district and seven members elected at-large from throughou ...

and in 1827, served as a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature. He was a proponent of the common school system and served on the first Board of Control of Public Schools for Philadelphia. He served as an original member of the City Board of Controllers and in 1829, was elected as a Canal Commissioner. He was appointed as a director of the United States Bank and the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bull ...

by President

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

. He served as

in 1829, after the resignation of George M. Dallas, and again from 1830 to 1832. After leaving office, Richards served as trustee of Girard College and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. He founded the Girard Life Insurance, Annuity and Trust Company in 1836 and served as president. He was a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. He was one of the organizers of

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

. He was a founder of the Asylum for the Blind and a director at the Deaf and Dumb Asylum. He died in Philadelphia on July 12, 1851, and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery.

Personal life

He married Sarah Ann Lippincott, daughter of Joshua Lippincott, in 1821, and together they had seven children. His older half brother, Samuel Richards, was a prominent iron manufacturer in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

during the early-mid 19th century.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Benjamin Wood 1797 births 1851 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople American bankers American company founders Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Directors of the United States Mint Mayors of Philadelphia Members of the American Philosophical Society Members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly Philadelphia City Council members Politicians from Burlington County, New Jersey Princeton University alumni 19th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly