James Daniel Richardson (March 10, 1843 – July 24, 1914) was an American politician and a Democrat from

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

for Tennessee's 5th congressional district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from 1885 through 1905.

Early life and education

James Daniel Richardson was born in

Rutherford County, Tennessee Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in Middle Tennessee. As of a 2023 estimate, the population was 367,101, making it the fifth-most populous county in Tennessee. A study conducted by the Univer ...

, son of John Watkins and Augusta M. Starnes Richardson. He attended the country schools and Franklin College, near Nashville. He married Alabama Pippen on January 18, 1865, and they had five children, Annie Augusta, Ida Lee, James Daniel, Allie Sue, and John Watkins. Before graduating from college, Richardson enlisted in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, and served nearly four years. The first year he was a private and the remaining three years as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

and the

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the 45th Tennessee Infantry Regiment.

Career

Richardson studied law; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice January 1, 1867, in

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...

. He was elected to the

Tennessee House of Representatives The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. Constitutional requirements According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...

, serving from 1871 to 1873, and then to the

Tennessee Senate The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee , Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any ...

, serving from 1873 to 1875. He was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

s in 1876, 1896, and 1900, and presided as permanent chairman at the 1900 convention. Elected as a Democratic to the Forty-ninth and to the nine succeeding Congresses, Richardson served from March 4, 1885, to March 3, 1905. He was among the earliest U.S. House Minority Leaders, holding that position from 1899 to 1903, during the 56th and 57th

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

es. Pursuant to an act of Congress on August 20, 1894, Richardson was charged with compiling the " Messages and Papers of the Presidents," a multi-volume work including every single important document from the federal Government, from the early days of President Washington through the second administration of

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

, plus some papers from the administration of

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

Death

Richardson died on July 24, 1914 (age 71 years, 136 days) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He is interred at Evergreen Cemetery.

Personal life

James Richardson was a

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and was raised in Mt. Moriah Lodge 18, in Murfreesboro, on October 12, 1867. He was elected the Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee in 1873. He also became the eleventh Sovereign Grand Commander of the

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a List of Masonic rites, rite within the broader context of Freemasonry. It is the most widely practiced List of Masonic rites, Rite in the world. In some parts of the world, and in the ...

's Supreme Council for the Southern Jurisdiction. He held this office from 1900 until his death until 1914. Richardson was also the Provincial Grand Master of the Royal Order of Scotland from 1903 to 1914.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, James D. 1843 births 1914 deaths Confederate States Army officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Tennessee Grand masters of the Grand Lodge of Tennessee Democratic Party members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Minority leaders of the United States House of Representatives People from Rutherford County, Tennessee Democratic Party Tennessee state senators 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Tennessee General Assembly Chairs of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee