Hiram Lawton Richmond

Hiram Lawton Richmond (May 17, 1810 – February 19, 1885) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania and a long-time attorney and civic leader in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He was born in Chautauqua, Chautauqua County, New York, where he received his early education under a private instructor and in the common schools. His father was a physician, and in his youth Richmond studied medicine with him for two years, gaining an early exposure to the learned professions before turning to other pursuits.

Seeking further education, Richmond attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in 1834 and 1835. Although he did not graduate, his association with the institution began a connection that would continue throughout his life. After leaving Allegheny College, he abandoned the study of medicine and turned to the law. He read law in Meadville and was admitted to the bar in 1838, thereafter commencing the practice of law in that community. His legal career developed alongside his growing involvement in public affairs and party politics.

In early manhood Richmond was a staunch Whig, aligning himself with the party that dominated much of American politics in the 1830s and 1840s. With the collapse of the Whig Party in the 1850s and the rise of the new Republican Party, he united with the Republicans upon its organization, reflecting the broader political realignment of the era. As a lawyer and party adherent in northwestern Pennsylvania, he became a respected figure in local legal and political circles, which laid the groundwork for his later congressional service.

Richmond was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress, representing Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1873, to March 3, 1875. His tenure in Congress coincided with the later years of Reconstruction and the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant, a period marked by debates over civil rights, economic policy, and governmental reform. Although he served only a single term at the national level, his election reflected the strength of Republican sentiment in his district during that time. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1874 and returned to private life at the close of his term.

After leaving Congress, Richmond resumed the practice of law in Meadville, continuing the professional work that had defined much of his adult life. He also maintained a long-standing relationship with Allegheny College, serving for many years as a member of its board of trustees. In that capacity he contributed to the governance and development of the institution where he had once been a student, reinforcing his role as a leading figure in the educational and civic life of Meadville.

Richmond spent his later years in Meadville, where he remained active in legal and community affairs until declining health and advancing age curtailed his activities. He died in Meadville on February 19, 1885. He was interred in Greendale Cemetery in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where his burial marked the close of a life devoted to the law, public service, and the civic institutions of his adopted community.