John Kelvey Richards | |
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| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | |
| In office February 23, 1903 – March 1, 1909 | |
| Appointed by | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | William R. Day |
| Succeeded by | John Wesley Warrington |
| 10th Solicitor General of the United States | |
| In office July 1, 1897 – March 16, 1903 | |
| Appointed by | William McKinley |
| Preceded by | Holmes Conrad |
| Succeeded by | Henry M. Hoyt |
| 20th Attorney General of Ohio | |
| In office January 11, 1892 – January 13, 1896 | |
| Governor | William McKinley |
| Preceded by | David K. Watson |
| Succeeded by | Frank S. Monnett |
| Member of theOhio Senate from the 8th district | |
| In office January 6, 1890 – January 3, 1892 Serving with J. L. Carpenter | |
| Preceded by | William J. Rannells |
| Succeeded by | J. L. Carpenter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Kelvey Richards (1856-03-15)March 15, 1856 Ironton, Ohio, US |
| Died | March 1, 1909(1909-03-01) (aged 52) Cincinnati, Ohio, US |
| Education | Swarthmore College (AB) Harvard University (AB) read law |
John Kelvey Richards (March 15, 1856 – March 1, 1909) was the 20thAttorney General of Ohio, the 10thSolicitor General of the United States and aUnited States circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and of theUnited States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit.
Born on March 15, 1856, inIronton,Lawrence County,Ohio,[1] Richards was the son of Samuel and Sarah (Kelvey) Richards.[2] Having received his early education in the schools of his native town,[2] Richards received anArtium Baccalaureus degree in 1875 fromSwarthmore College, an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1877 fromHarvard University andread law in 1879,[1] in the office of JudgeWilliam Wartenbee Johnson, later Chief Justice of theSupreme Court of Ohio.[2] He was a prosecutor for Lawrence County from 1880 to 1882.[1] He was city solicitor for Ironton from 1885 to 1889.[1] He was a member of theOhio Senate from 1890 to 1892,[1] serving as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.[2] He was the 20thAttorney General of Ohio from 1892 to 1896,[1] his term running currently with that ofGovernor of OhioWilliam McKinley.[2] He was a member of the Commission to Codify Insurance Laws of Ohio from 1895 to 1896.[1] He was counsel for the Commission on Taxation of theOhio General Assembly in 1896.[1] He was general counsel for the Ohio State Board of Medical Registration and Examination from 1896 to 1898.[1] He was special counsel for the Ohio State Board of Appraisers and Assessors from 1896 to 1898.[1] He was the 10thSolicitor General of the United States from July 1, 1897 to March 16, 1903.[1][3]
While serving as the Ohio Attorney General, Richards successfully fought through the courts the claim of the state that though it had granted the canal beds to these cities for streets and sewage purposes, the cities had no right to turn them over to the railroads and that the railroads must surrender their use to the state.[2] The tax bills which he as counsel for the legislative committee helped to draft, he was called upon to uphold in state courts and in theUnited States Supreme Court.[2] His successful defense of these bills, which taxed the franchises of foreign corporations, the property of interstate express companies by the "unit" rule, and the proportionate share of cars of sleeping car companies, gave rise to decisions which became the basis for much important excise andproperty-tax law.[2]
As Solicitor General, Richards was called upon to handle the difficult legal questions arising out of theSpanish–American War, particularly in reference to the territory acquired by theUnited States.[2] A number of theInsular Cases were argued by him in the Supreme Court, as were also theJoint Traffic Association and theAddyston Pipe & Steel Company cases.[2] He prepared the briefs and handled the Northern Securities case until his appointment to the bench in 1903.[2]
Richards was nominated by PresidentTheodore Roosevelt on February 19, 1903, to a joint seat on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and theUnited States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit vacated by JudgeWilliam Rufus Day.[1] He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on February 23, 1903, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on March 1, 1909, due to his death inCincinnati, Ohio.[1]
During his time on the federal bench, Richards wrote over 140 opinions, few being over three pages long, and many only one or two.[2]
On June 12, 1890, Richards married Anna Willard Steece of Ironton, Ohio, who with one daughter and two sons survived him.[2]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theSolicitor General of the United States.| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | 20thAttorney General of Ohio 1892–1896 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | 10thSolicitor General of the United States 1897–1903 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Circuit Courts for the Sixth Circuit 1903–1909 | Succeeded by |
| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 1903–1909 | ||
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