Richard Bowditch "Dick" Wigglesworth (April 25, 1891 – October 22, 1960) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player and coach and

United States Representative 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

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. He was born in

Boston 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 ...

. He graduated from

Milton Academy Milton Academy (informally referred to as Milton) is a coeducational, co-educational, Independent school, independent, and College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts, educating students in g ...

in 1908. He attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where he was the starting quarterback for the

Harvard Crimson football The Harvard Crimson football program represents Harvard University in college football at the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Harvard's football program is one ...

team from 1909 to 1911. Wigglesworth graduated from Harvard in 1912, and from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1916. He also served as a graduate coach of the Harvard football team starting in 1912. He was assistant private secretary to the Governor General of the

Philippine Islands The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Boston. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he served overseas as captain, Battery E, and as commanding officer, First Battalion, Three Hundred and Third Field Artillery, Seventy-sixth Division, 1917–1919. He served as legal adviser to the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in charge of foreign loans and railway payments, and secretary of the World War Debt Commission 1922–1924. He was assistant to the Agent General for Reparation Payments,

Berlin, Germany Berlin ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of ...

1924–1927. He was general counsel and Paris representative for organizations created under the Dawes plan in 1927 and 1928. Wigglesworth was elected as a Republican to the

Seventieth Congress The 70th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 192 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Louis A. Frothingham. He was reelected to the Seventy-first and to the fourteen succeeding Congresses and served from November 6, 1928, until his resignation November 13, 1958. Wigglesworth voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights law passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. E ...

. He served as

United States Ambassador to Canada This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Canada.U.S. ...

from December 15, 1958, until his death in Boston on October 22, 1960. His interment was in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

. Wigglesworth married Florence Joyes Booth in 1931, and they had three daughters, Ann, Mary and Jane.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wigglesworth, Richard Bowditch 1891 births 1960 deaths Politicians from Boston Military personnel from Massachusetts Milton Academy alumni Harvard Law School alumni Harvard Crimson football players Harvard Crimson football coaches Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Ambassadors of the United States to Canada Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

See also

References