This article includes alist of references,related reading, orexternal links,but its sources remain unclear because it lacksinline citations. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing more precise citations.(March 2013) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Richard J. Welch
Welchc. 1932
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from California's5th district
In office August 31, 1926 – September 10, 1949
Preceded by	Lawrence J. Flaherty
Succeeded by	John F. Shelley
Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
In office January 8, 1916 – September 30, 1926
Preceded by	Henry Payot
Succeeded by	Frank J. McGovern
Member of theCalifornia Senate from the19th district
In office January 1, 1901 – January 6, 1913
Preceded by	Lawrence J. Dwyer
Succeeded by	Edwin Grant
Personal details
Born	Richard Joseph Welch (1869-02-13)February 13, 1869 Monroe County, New York, U.S.
Died	September 10, 1949(1949-09-10) (aged 80) Needles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery
Political party	Republican Union Labor
Spouse	Sarah O'Connor Welch
Children	Garrett Welch

Richard Joseph Welch (February 13, 1869 – September 10, 1949) was an Americancounty clerk and politician. He sat in theUnited States House of Representatives for 12 terms from 1926 to 1949, serving a district inSan Francisco,California. Before this, Welch had been a state senator. As of 2025, he is the last Republican to represent San Francisco in the House.

Born inMonroe County, New York, Welch was educated in the public schools. He moved to California in early boyhood and settled in San Francisco. He worked on a farm inFreeport, and then was apprenticed as anironworker, which led to his becoming trained as amachinist. He later served as clerk of theSan Francisco County Superior Court.

Welch became active in politics as aRepublican, including serving as treasurer of his local Republican Club, helping organize campaign events for the ticket ofWilliam McKinley andGarret A. Hobart during the1896 presidential campaign, and organizing San Francisco'sDewey Republican Club in 1898. He served in theCalifornia Senate from 1901 to 1913.

Welch was the harbormaster for the port of San Francisco from 1903 to 1907. He served on theSan Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1916 until September 30, 1926, when he resigned, having been elected to Congress.

Welch was elected to theSixty-ninth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death ofLawrence J. Flaherty. He was re-elected to theSeventieth and to the eleven succeeding Congresses and served from August 31, 1926, until his death in a hospital inNeedles, California, September 10, 1949. He was succeeded byJohn F. Shelley and was the last Republican to hold this seat.

During his tenure, Welch served as chairman of the Committee on Labor (Seventy-first Congress), and the Committee on Public Lands (Eightieth Congress). He introduced legislation to excludeFilipinos from immigrating to the United States.^[1]

He died on September 10, 1949 at the age of 80. His body was interred atHoly Cross Cemetery inColma, California.

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

• United States Congress."Richard J. Welch (id: W000265)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Richard Joseph Welch, Late a Representative from California. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 1950.
• Media related toRichard J. Welch at Wikimedia Commons
• Richard J. Welch atFind a Grave
• Join California Richard J. Welch

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

• 1869 births
• 1949 deaths
• Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery (Colma, California)
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
• Republican Party California state senators
• 20th-century members of the California State Legislature
• 20th-century United States representatives
• Union Labor Party (California) politicians

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles lacking in-text citations from March 2013
• All articles lacking in-text citations
• Commons category link from Wikidata
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress