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 House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

from

Montana's 2nd congressional district Montana's second congressional district is a congressional district in the United States House of Representatives that was apportioned after the 2020 United States census. The first candidates ran in the 2022 United States House of Representati ...

Early life and education

Riddick was born in Wells,

Faribault County, Minnesota Faribault County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,921. Its county seat is Blue Earth. History The county was founded in 1855. It was named for Jean-Baptiste Faribault, a settler a ...

, and was educated in the public schools in Michigan. He attended

Albion College Albion College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students as of Fall 2021 ...

in Albion, Michigan and

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a Private college, private liberal arts college and Music school, conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second colle ...

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, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

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

Montana's at-large congressional district From 1993 to 2023, Montana was represented in the United States House of Representatives by one at-large List of United States congressional districts, congressional district, among the 435 in the United States Congress. The district was the mo ...

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

1st First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and

2nd A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI). Second, Seconds, The Second, or (The) 2nd may also refer to: Mathematics * 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'') * Minute and second of arc, ...

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. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as ...

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

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

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

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), 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 Éirean ...

to replace retiring Senator Henry L. Myers. Riddick won the Republican primary over

State Attorney General The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states, of the District of Columbia, federal district, or of any of the Territories of the United States, territories is the chief legal advisor to the State governments of the United States, sta ...

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 Burton Kendall Wheeler (February 27, 1882January 6, 1975) was an attorney and an American politician of the Democratic Party in Montana, which he represented as a United States senator from 1923 until 1947. Born in Massachusetts, Wheeler bega ...

, 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. 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 ...

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 borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

and

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. His son, Merrill K. Riddick, was an aviator and perennial candidate. Riddick died on July 9, 1960, in

Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it ...

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

References

External links

US Congress biographical directory

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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 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives