Richard Howard Ichord Jr. (June 27, 1926 – December 25, 1992) was U.S. representative from Missouri and a significant
U.S.
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
anti-Communist
Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...
political figure. A member of the
Democratic Party, he served as the last chairman of the
House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...
between 1969 and 1975 (called the
House Internal Security Committee since 1969).
Background
Richard H. Ichord Jr. was born in
Licking
Licking is the action (philosophy), action of passing the tongue over a surface, typically either to deposit saliva onto the surface, or to collect liquid, food or minerals onto the tongue for ingestion, or to animal communication, communicate w ...
,
Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
. From 1944 to 1946 he served in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
. He attended the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
in
Columbia, receiving a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree in 1949, and a
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
in 1952.
Career
Ichord worked as a lawyer in private practice before entering government service. From 1952 to 1960, he was a member of the
Missouri State House of Representatives, where he served as
speaker pro tempore
''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to 'for the time being' in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a '' locum tenens'' ('placeholder'). The phrase is ...
in 1957, and Speaker in 1959.
Elected as the
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 ...
for Missouri's
8th district in 1960, he was re-elected nine times, serving in the
Eighty-seventh through
Ninety-sixth Congresses (1961–1980). Ichord voted in favor of the
Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
, and the
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...
.
In addition to the House Un-American Activities Committee, he also served on the
House Armed Services Committee
The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of ...
. He did not run for reelection in 1980.
Later years
After his retirement from office, Ichord became a professional advocate in Missouri and served as co-chairman of
American Freedom Coalition
The Unification Church () is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists or sometimes informally Moonies. It was founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon in Seoul, South Korea, as the Holy Spirit Association for the Unificatio ...
with Congressman
Bob Wilson.
Death
Ichord died in
Houston, Missouri at age 66 on December 25, 1992.
Works
He co-authored the book ''Behind Every Bush: Treason or Patriotism'' (1979) with
Boyd Upchurch.
See also
*
List of members of the House Un-American Activities Committee
References
*
ICHORD, Richard Howard, II, (1926–1992), ''
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–Present''. Retrieved January 12, 2006.
The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: I to Ingersol. Retrieved January 12, 2006.
*
SHSMO--Ichord, Richard H. (1926–1992), Papers, 1960–1980 (C1269)--INVENTORY. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ichord, Richard Howard Jr.
1926 births
1992 deaths
Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives
Speakers of the Missouri House of Representatives
University of Missouri alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri
People from Texas County, Missouri
Military personnel from Missouri
20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
20th-century members of the Missouri General Assembly
Members of the House Un-American Activities Committee