Richard Alexander Sneed (August 28, 1845 – March 16, 1936) was an American Confederate veteran, Klansman and politician. After serving 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 ...

of 1861–1865, he was a co-founder of the

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...

chapter in

Madison County, Tennessee Madison County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 98,823. Its county seat is Jackson. Madison County is included in the Jackson metropolitan area. History Madis ...

. 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 ...

, he served as the

Oklahoma Secretary of State The Secretary of State of the State of Oklahoma is the chief clerical officer of Oklahoma and a member of the Oklahoma Governor's Cabinet. The Secretary of State is the only appointed constitutional member of the separation of powers, executive b ...

from 1923 to 1927, the

Oklahoma State Treasurer The State Treasurer of Oklahoma is the chief custodian of Oklahoma's cash deposits, monies from bond sales, and other securities and collateral and directs the investments of those assets. The treasurer provides for the safe and efficient operati ...

from 1927 to 1931, and the Oklahoma Secretary of State again from 1931 to 1935.

Early life

Richard Alexander Sneed was born on August 28, 1845, in

Tallahatchie County, Mississippi Tallahatchie County is a county in the U.S. state of Mississippi. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,715. Its county seats are Charleston and Sumner. Tallahatchie County is located within the Mississippi Delta. The county is divided ...

. His father was Albert Sneed and his mother, Maria; they were 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 ...

Career

Sneed joined the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was a field army of the Confederate States Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed agains ...

of the

during the

of 1861-1865. He served under General

Jubal Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician and military officer who served in the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early resigned his ...

during the

Second Battle of Fredericksburg The Second Battle of Fredericksburg, also known as the Second Battle of Marye's Heights, took place on May 3, 1863, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as part of the Chancellorsville Campaign of the American Civil War. Background Confederate Gen. R ...

, where he was wounded. He served under General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

during the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses ...

. He was jailed by the Union Army for two months at the Point Lookout Prison in Maryland from April 14 to June 30 of 1865. After the war, Sneed was a co-founder of the

chapter of

. He served as the commander-in-chief of the trans-Mississippi division of the

United Confederate Veterans The United Confederate Veterans (UCV, or simply Confederate Veterans) was an American Civil War veterans' organization headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was organized on June 10, 1889, by ex-soldiers and sailors of the Confederate Sta ...

in 1927, and the commander-in-chief of the UCV in 1928. Sneed was an active member of the Democratic Party. He worked a clerk of the circuit court of Madison County for eight years and deputy clerk of the

Tennessee Supreme Court The Tennessee Supreme Court is the highest court in the state of Tennessee. The Supreme Court's three buildings are seated in Nashville, Knoxville, and Jackson, Tennessee. The Court is composed of five members: a chief justice, and four justice ...

. He ran to become the

Tennessee Secretary of State The Tennessee Secretary of State is an office created by the Tennessee State Constitution. The Secretary of State is responsible for many of the administrative aspects of the operation of the state government of Tennessee. The current Secretar ...

, but he was not elected. He moved to

Fort Sill, Oklahoma Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (137 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost . The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark an ...

, in 1895 and worked as a merchant. In 1907, he became recorder of deeds for

Comanche County Comanche County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Comanche County, Kansas * Comanche County, Oklahoma * Comanche County, Texas Comanche County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 ...

. He was the superintendent of the

Chickasaw National Recreation Area Chickasaw National Recreation Area is a national recreation area in the foothills of the Arbuckle Mountains in south-central Oklahoma near Sulphur in Murray County. It includes the former Platt National Park and Arbuckle Recreation Area. Part ...

from 1914 to 1919. He served as the

from 1923 to 1927, the

from 1927 to 1931, and the Secretary of State again from 1931 to 1935. He became known as the "grand old man of the Democratic Party" in Oklahoma.

Personal life and death

Sneed married Annie R. Bullock, a native of

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis and 130 Miles Southwest of Nashville, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population wa ...

, in 1861. They had three sons and three daughters. One of his sons, R. R. Sneed, served as the

from 1913 to 1917. Sneed was a member of the

Methodist Episcopal Church, South The Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MEC, S; also Methodist Episcopal Church South) was the American Methodist denomination resulting from the 19th-century split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). Disagreement ...

, and a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

. Sneed died on March 16, 1936, in

Lawton, Oklahoma Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, Oklahoma, Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in western Oklahoma, approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton metropolitan ar ...

. His funeral was held at the Centenary Methodist Church in Lawton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sneed, Richard A. 1845 births 1936 deaths American Freemasons Confederate States Army officers American Ku Klux Klan members Oklahoma Democrats People from Tallahatchie County, Mississippi People from Lawton, Oklahoma Secretaries of state of Oklahoma State treasurers of Oklahoma Prisoners and detainees of the United States military Members of the United Confederate Veterans