John Smythe Richardson (February 29, 1828 – February 24, 1894) was 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

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. Born on the Bloomhill plantation, near

Sumter, South Carolina Sumter ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. The city makes up the Sumter, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area. Sumter County, along with Clarendon and Lee counties, form the core of Sumter–Lee ...

, Richardson pursued an academic course in

Cokesbury, South Carolina Cokesbury is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenwood County, South Carolina, Greenwood County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 215 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, down from 279 in 2000. History The name "Coke ...

, and was studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

at the South Carolina College (now the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

) at Columbia, graduating in 1850. He was admitted to the bar in 1852 and began practice in

. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, he entered 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 ...

as a captain of Infantry. He was later promoted to adjutant of the Twenty-third Regiment, South Carolina Infantry, and served until the close of the war in 1865. He served as member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seatin ...

in 1865–1867. He was appointed an agent of the State of South Carolina in 1866 to apply for and receive the land script donated to South Carolina by Congress. He served as delegate to the

1876 Democratic National Convention The 1876 Democratic National Convention assembled in St. Louis just nine days after the conclusion of the Republican National Convention in Cincinnati. This was the first political convention held west of the Mississippi River. St. Louis was no ...

. Richardson was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-sixth and Forty-seventh Congresses (March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883). He served as master in equity for Sumter County in 1884–1893. He died at his country home, "Shadyside," near

, on February 24, 1894. He was interred in Sumter Cemetery.

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* 1828 births 1894 deaths Confederate States Army officers People of South Carolina in the American Civil War University of South Carolina alumni People from Sumter, South Carolina Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly {{SouthCarolina-politician-stub