Richard Vaux (December 19, 1816 – March 22, 1895) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district from 1890 to 1891. He served as

mayor of Philadelphia The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Cherelle Parker, who is the first woman to hold the ...

from 1857 to 1858.

Early life and education

Vaux was born on December 19, 1816, 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 ...

. His father was the judge and philanthropist Roberts Vaux. He was a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...

and educated by private tutors at the Friends Select School in Philadelphia and Bolmar's French School in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,671 at the 2020 census. West ...

. He studied law under William M. Meredith and in 1837 was admitted to the bar in Philadelphia. Vaux traveled to London with government dispatches and remained for a year to serve as secretary of legation under Andrew Stevenson, United States Minister to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

Career

Vaux returned to Philadelphia in 1839. He was nominated as a Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania State House of Representatives but lost to the Whig candidate. He served on the Board of Governors for the Eastern State Penitentiary from 1839 to 1892. In 1840, he started a private law practice in Philadelphia and was a delegate to the Democratic State convention. He worked as member of the Board of Comptrollers for the public schools in Philadelphia and as

recorder of deeds Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights ove ...

in Philadelphia from 1841 to 1847. In 1845, he published the ''Recorders' Decisions''. Vaux ran unsuccessfully for mayor as a Democrat in the 1842 Philadelphia mayoral election against John Morin Scott, the 1848 Philadelphia mayoral election against John Swift, and the 1854 Philadelphia mayoral election against Robert T. Conrad. He partnered with Irish politicians and was elected mayor in the 1856 Philadelphia mayoral election. His administration increased the size of the police force, removed the requirement for policemen to be born in the United States, implemented a police and fire telegraph system and established uniforms. He was defeated for reelection in the 1858 Philadelphia mayoral election by Alexander Henry. Vaux also served as a member of the Board of City Trusts from 1859 to 1866, and as president from 1863 to 1865. He was outspoken against

abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. ...

and African-Americans. During the American Civil War, his pro-southern proclivities and affinity with Bourbon Democrats earned him the nickname, the "Bourbon War Horse". He was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and served as Grand Master of the

Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania The Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania, officially The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdictions Thereunto Belonging, sometimes referred to as Freema ...

from 1868 to 1869. He served as president of the Philadelphia Club, was a member of the Girard College board for many years, and was elected as a member of the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

in 1884. Vaux was elected in 1890 as a Democrat to the 51st Congress to fill the vacancy left by the death of Samuel J. Randall and served from May 20, 1890, to March 3, 1891. He lost his bid for reelection in 1890. He died on March 22, 1895, in Philadelphia and was interred in

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

Personal life

Vaux married Mary Morris Waln and together they had four surviving children.

Publications

*
Reports of Some of the Criminal Cases on Primary Hearing, Before Richard Vaux, Recorder of the City of Philadelphia.
', Philadelphia: T. & J.W. Johnson, 1846 *
Address Delivered Before the Philadelphia Hose Company, on the 47th Anniversary, Held at the Columbia House, on the Evening of December 16, 1850.
', Philadelphia: Bryson & Cooper, 1850 *
Brief Sketch of the Origin and History of the State Penitentiary for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia.
', Philadelphia: McLaughlin Brothers, 1872 *
Short Talks on Crime-cause and Convict Punishment.
', Philadelphia, 1882

References

Citations Sources *

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Publications

References

Further reading