William Richardson
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromAlabama's8th district
In office August 6, 1900 – March 31, 1914
Preceded by	Joseph Wheeler
Succeeded by	Christopher C. Harris
Member of theAlabama House of Representatives
In office 1865–1867
Personal details
Born	(1839-05-08)May 8, 1839 Athens, Alabama, US
Died	March 31, 1914(1914-03-31) (aged 74) Atlantic City, New Jersey, US
Resting place	Maple Hill Cemetery,Huntsville, Alabama, US
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Elizabeth Rucker
Profession	Attorney
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States of America
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Rank	Captain[1]
Unit	50th Alabama Infantry

William Richardson (May 8, 1839 – March 31, 1914) was an Americanpolitician andlawyer.

Born inAthens, Alabama, to William Richardson and Anne Davis, Richardson served in theCivil War, fighting for theConfederacy.

Richardson enlisted in Co. K, 50th Regiment Alabama Infantry^[2] and was wounded in the battle ofShiloh and was taken prisoner. He escaped from prison, was caught, and about to be shot as a spy atMurfreesboro when "on the morning air there came to our ears with heartfelt welcome the famous rebel yell," and GeneralForrest with his "critter company" rescued him. This account is given in Andrew Nelson Lytle'sBedford Forrest and His Horse Critters. William then joined Company E of the 50th Alabama Infantry Regiment, and was again wounded atChickamauga. He was paroled in April 1865 inMarietta, Georgia.^[3]

After the war, Richardson returned toLimestone County and served in theAlabama House of Representatives between 1865 and 1867 from that district. He studied law and was admitted to the bar at Huntsville in 1867. Between 1875 and 1886, he served as judge of theprobate and county courts of Madison County. Richardson played a major role in the election of George Smith Houston as governor the next year. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1904.

He was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-sixth congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation ofJoseph Wheeler.^[4] He was reelected to the Fifty-seventh and to the six succeeding Congresses. He served until his death.^[5]

Richardson married his cousin, Elizabeth Rucker, of Lynchburg, Virginia in 1872, and they were the parents of five children.

Richardson died on March 31, 1914, inAtlantic City, New Jersey, where he had gone for his health, and is buried inMaple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville.^[6]

• List of members of the United States Congress who died in office (1900–1949)

• United States Congress."William Richardson (id: R000227)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-14
• Kestenbaum, Lawrence.The Political Graveyard. Accessed December 5, 2006.

 This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.

• Encyclopedia of Alabama
• William N. Richardson, late a representative from Alabama, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1915

• 1839 births
• 1914 deaths
• 19th-century American lawyers
• 20th-century United States representatives
• Alabama lawyers
• Confederate States Army soldiers
• Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama
• Lawyers from Huntsville, Alabama
• Democratic Party members of the Alabama House of Representatives
• People from Athens, Alabama
• Politicians from Huntsville, Alabama
• 19th-century members of the Alabama Legislature

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from July 2024
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress