Richard Whiting Blue (September 8, 1841 – January 28, 1907) was a farmer, teacher, lawyer, judge, state senator, and

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 ...

. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He lived in Virginia and then

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

. Born near

Parkersburg, Virginia Parkersburg is a city in Wood County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. Located at the confluence of the Ohio and Little Kanawha rivers, it is the state's fourth-most populous city and the center of the Parkersburg–Vienna me ...

(now West Virginia), Blue worked on a farm in the summertime and studied in the select schools of that locality during the winter season. He attended Monongalia Academy, Morgantown, Virginia, in 1859 and Washington (Pennsylvania) College until his enlistment, on June 29, 1863, as a private in Company A of the

3rd West Virginia Infantry Regiment The 3rd West Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It fought in Virginia and West Virginia. On May 23, 1863, it was converted to a mounted infantry by Brigadier General W ...

, 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 became second and then first lieutenant of the company. Honorably discharged May 22, 1866, at

Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States. Part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, Leavenworth is located on the west bank of the Missouri River, on the site o ...

, when he returned to

Grafton, West Virginia Grafton is a city in Taylor County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. The population was 4,729 at the 2020 census. Located along the Tygart Valley River, it originally developed as a junction point for the Baltimore and Ohio ...

. He taught school. He studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Virginia, and commenced practice in

Linn County, Kansas Linn County is a county in the U.S. state of Kansas, located along the eastern edge of Kansas, and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Its county seat is Mound City, and its most populous city is Pleasanton. As of the 2020 cens ...

, in 1871. Probate judge of Linn County 1872–1876. County attorney 1876–1880. He served as member of the State senate 1880–1888. Blue was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1896 to the Fifty-fifth Congress. He engaged in the practice of law until his death in

Bartlesville Bartlesville is a city mostly in Washington County and Osage County, Oklahoma. The population was 37,290 at the 2020 census. Bartlesville is north of Tulsa and south of the Kansas border. It is the county seat of Washington County. The Caney ...

, Washington County,

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, January 28, 1907. He was interred in Pleasanton Cemetery,

Pleasanton, Kansas Pleasanton is a city in Linn County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,208. History In 1864, General Alfred Pleasonton defeated the Confederates in the Battle of Mine Creek near present-day Pleasa ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue, Richard Whiting 1841 births 1907 deaths Kansas state court judges Republican Party Kansas state senators Union army officers Politicians from Parkersburg, West Virginia People of West Virginia in the American Civil War Military personnel from Parkersburg, West Virginia Politicians from Grafton, West Virginia Kansas lawyers Washington & Jefferson College alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas 19th-century American judges 19th-century American farmers Lawyers from Parkersburg, West Virginia 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Kansas Legislature Military personnel from Grafton, West Virginia Lawyers from Grafton, West Virginia