John Ezra Rickards (July 23, 1848 – December 26, 1927) was an American politician and bookkeeper. A Republican, he served as the first

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

, and the second Governor of the state of

Biography

Rickards was born to David T. Rickards and his second wife, the former Mary Burris in

Delaware City, Delaware Delaware City is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 1,885 as of 2020. It is a small port town on the eastern terminus of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and is the location of the Forts Ferry Crossing to F ...

and was educated in the public schools of his home state. His mother died when he was a young boy and for a time he Eliza lived and labored on an uncle's farm. In 1857, Rickards became a clerk in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

where his father was living with his third wife and their two daughters. The younger Rickards moved to

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The ...

in 1870 and was a clerk and a bookkeeper until 1873. He married Lizzie M. Wilson, born 19 April 1848 in Newark, Delaware, on 5 July 1876. The couple moved to California, and had three sons, Homer Crary (1877-1907), Earl Merritt (1878-1884), and Seward Adams (1880-1964). The family was living in Oakland by 1880. Lizzie died in San Francisco at the age of 33 on 18 May 1881.Family documents. Rickards was a salesman in the mercantile business, and also involved in real estate, insurance and the oil industry. After Lizzie's death he moved to Butte, Montana in September 1882 and became a successful businessman in those fields. Rickards married Canadian-born Eliza Anne (Ellis) Boucher on 18 June 1883, in Ogden, Utah. She brought a daughter, Harriet Ellis Boucher, into the marriage. The Rickards then had five children: Howard Burris (1884-1952), Carlisle (1885-1958), "Baby" (1886), John Ezra (born and died in 1889), and Rachel (1891-1954). The Rickards were active lay leaders in the Methodist-Episcopal Church. After his stint as governor, Rickards, his wife, and five surviving children aged 9–24 moved back to Butte, Silver Bow County, Montana. By 1908, John, Eliza and Ellis were living in Berkeley, California. In 1914, the three were registered Progressives but 1916, they were once again registered Republicans.

Career

Rickards was elected Alderman of

Butte In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and table (landform), tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French l ...

in 1885. He was a member of the territorial legislature from 1888 to 1889, and was a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1889. Rickards, a Republican, was elected as Montana's first

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

in 1888 at the same time that Joseph K. Toole, 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 ...

, was chosen as Montana's first

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

. He served from 1889 to 1893. Rickards served as the second Governor of Montana from 1893 to 1897. While continuing to build Montana's infrastructure, he is credited for overseeing the creation of the state legal code and the state board of education, and an anti-gambling bill was sanctioned during his tenure. After leaving office, Rickards moved to

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

and resumed his business career. Given an appointment to the

Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, he was in that post for eighteen years.

Death

Rickards died of

angina pectoris Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typically the result of part ...

and chronic

myocarditis Myocarditis is inflammation of the cardiac muscle. Myocarditis can progress to inflammatory cardiomyopathy when there is associated ventricular remodeling and cardiac dysfunction due to chronic inflammation. Symptoms can include shortness of bre ...

at his Berkeley, Alameda County, California home on 26 December 1927. His death certificate notes that he was retired from a special appointment to the U.S. Agricultural Secretary.California State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Standard Certificate of Death His cremains are interred at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, California.

References

External links

Montana Capitol State of Montana profile National Governors Association biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rickards, John E. 1848 births 1927 deaths People from Delaware City, Delaware Members of the Montana Territorial Legislature Lieutenant governors of Montana Republican Party governors of Montana Methodists from Montana