James Alexander Dudley Richards (March 22, 1845 – December 4, 1911) was an American lawyer and politician who served 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 ...

for one term from 1893 to 1895.

Early life and career

Richards was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and spent his early life there and in New York City, where he received a common-school education. He moved to

New Philadelphia, Ohio New Philadelphia is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The county's largest city, New Philadelphia lies along the Tuscarawas River. The population was 17,677 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It i ...

, in 1861. He studied law. He 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 1867 and commenced practice in New Philadelphia.

Congress

Richards was elected as a

Democrat 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Fifty-third Congress (March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1895). He served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Fifty-third Congress). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1894 to the Fifty-fourth Congress.

Later career

He resumed the practice of law 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 ...

, and subsequently returned to

, and continued the practice of his profession.

Death

He died in New Philadelphia, on December 4, 1911. He was interred in the East Fair Street Cemetery.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, James Alexander Dudley 1845 births 1911 deaths Politicians from Boston People from New Philadelphia, Ohio Ohio lawyers 19th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives