Carlos Wood Riddick (February 25, 1872 – July 9, 1960) was an American politician and businessman. He served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Montana's 2nd congressional district.

Early life and education

Riddick was born in

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

, Faribault County, Minnesota and was educated in the public schools in Michigan. He attended Albion College in Albion, Michigan and Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. His sister, Florence Riddick Boys (1873–1963), was a journalist, suffragist, and state official in Indiana.

Career

From 1899 to 1910, Riddick was editor of the ''

Winamac Winamac was the name of a number of Potawatomi leaders and warriors beginning in the late 17th century. The name derives from a man named Wilamet, a Native American from an eastern tribe who in 1681 was appointed to serve as a liaison between New ...

Republican'' newspaper in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

. Following that he was a rancher and County Assessor of Fergus Co., Montana. In 1918,

Montana's at-large congressional district Montana is represented in the United States House of Representatives by one at-large congressional district, among the 435 in the United States Congress. The district was the most populous U.S. congressional district, with just over 1 million c ...

, which elected two separate members, was abolished, and the

1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and 2nd districts were created in its place. One of the at-large representatives, John M. Evans, opted to run for re-election in the 1st district, while the other,

Jeannette Rankin Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was an American politician and women's rights advocate who became the first woman to hold federal office in the United States in 1917. She was elected to the U.S. House of Represent ...

, instead opted to run for the Senate. Riddick ran in the newly created 2nd district, and was narrowly elected over Harry B. Mitchell, the

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

nominee. He was re-elected in a landslide over M. McCusker in

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own m ...

. Rather than seek re-election to a third term, he opted to run for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éireann, the day after Éamon de Valera ...

to replace retiring Senator

Henry L. Myers Henry Lee Myers (October 9, 1862 – November 11, 1943) was a United States senator from Montana. Biography Born near Boonville, Missouri, he attended Cooper Institute and Boonville Academy, both private schools. He studied law and was admitt ...

. Riddick won the Republican primary over

State Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the federal district, or of any of the territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney gen ...

Wellington D. Rankin Wellington D. Rankin (September 16, 1884 – June 4, 1966) was a Republican public official from the state of Montana. He was born Wellington Duncan Rankin on September 16, 1884 in Missoula, Montana, the son of John and Olive (née Pickeri ...

, but in the general election, he lost to Burton K. Wheeler, the Democratic nominee, by a wide margin. After leaving politics, Riddick served as president of the ''National Republic'', a magazine published in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He was the operator of a home development at Sylvan Shores in South River, Maryland.

Personal life

In his later years, Riddick lived in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

and

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

. His son,

Merrill K. Riddick Merrill Keith Riddick (March 7, 1895 – March 9, 1988) was an American aviator and perennial candidate. He was a candidate for President of the United States three times, affiliated with Puritan Ethic and Epic, Magnetohydrodynamics and Prohibi ...

, was an aviator and perennial candidate. Riddick died on July 9, 1960 in

Fort Lauderdale A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. He is interred at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland.

References

External links

US Congress biographical directory

*
govtrack.us
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riddick, Carl W. People from Wells, Minnesota Albion College alumni Lawrence University alumni Editors of Indiana newspapers Methodists from Montana 1872 births 1960 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Montana People from Pulaski County, Indiana Journalists from Montana