Trails-to-the-Past-Minnesota-Morrison-Biographies-Progressive-men

Minneapolis Journal 1897

NATHAN RICHARDSON is mayor of Little Falls and judge of probate of Morrison County, Minnesota. His father, Martin Richardson, was of English-German origin, and his mother, who was Miss Candace Comestock, was of English, German and French extraction. They both resided in Otsego County, New York. Nathan was born on February 24, 1829, near the village of Clyde, Wayne County, New York. He was the second son of a family of nine children. When he was about five years old his parents removed to Michigan and lived in the town of Commerce, Oakland County. Where young Nathan worked on the farm and attended district school during his boyhood.

When eighteen he, for one summer, attended an academy at Milford, Michigan, and during the next two summers he attended a branch of the state university at Romeo. In 1851 his father died. Prior to 1854 he taught a district school five terms, in which year with four other young men he set out for Minnesota, intending to go directly to Little Falls, where Nathan’s cousin, Lewis Richardson, was employed, but upon arriving in St. Anthony they found an opportunity to secure employment with Whipple & Tourtillotte, who were then conducting logging operations on Bogus Brook, a branch of the Rum river, and they went into the woods for the winter. Upon returning in the spring they found that their employers had failed. Mr. Richardson then set out on foot for Little Falls, where he secured work. Soon after his arrival he, with his cousin, commenced the erection of a hotel in that place. Richardson himself went into the woods and got out the timbers for the structure. After getting the lumber on the ground and setting the carpenters at work, he returned to Michigan to settle up his father’s estate, and purchased furnishings and supplies for the hotel. This was Mr. Richardson’s first business venture in Minnesota. He has since been interested in many more extensive enterprises, but none, probably, upon which he looks back with so much pride as to that first frontier hotel.

Almost upon his arrival at Little Falls, Mr. Richardson became identified with public affairs, and he has since been almost constantly in the public service in some way or other. When the county of Morrison was organized in 1856 he was elected register of deeds by a vote of eighty-six to his opponent’s fifty. He was also appointed clerk of court and held the office until the state legislature met and made the office elective. He remained register of deeds for nine years. Since then Mr. Richardson has held the following offices: Chairman of town supervisors, town assessor, county surveyor, county attorney, judge of probate, city attorney, mayor of Little Falls, member of the state legislature for three terms, those of 1867, 1872 and 1878, postmaster eleven years, and a number of minor offices. During the war he was enrolling officer, and traveled all over the northern part of the state finding out the names of persons who were liable to draft. In December, 1876 he was admitted to the bar, but has not practiced much outside of his service as county attorney, except as a pension attorney. He was first elected judge of probate in 1884 and held the office for eight years. He was defeated for the office in 1892, but ran again in 1894 and was elected, and he expects to be a candidate again in 1896. Upon the incorporation of the city of Little Falls in 1889 he was elected mayor, and was re-elected for five successive years.

In 1894 I. E. Staples defeated him by thirty votes, but in 1896 Mr. Richardson went in again by a plurality of 148 votes over two Disposition candidates. At each election as mayor, the office sought him and not he the office. While in the legislature Mr. Richardson was instrumental in securing the passage of bills for the building of the Little Falls & Dakota railroad, and for the enlargement of Morrison County to nearly double its original area by the acquisition of territory from Todd County. He has been very much interested in the Mille Lacs Indians and has frequently represented them as their attorney.

His views upon matters pertaining to religion are decidedly agnostic. Mr. Richardson was married on June 21, 1857, to Miss Mary A. Roof. They have four children living, Martin M., Raymond J., Francis A., and Mary A. Richardson. Mr. Richardson is the author of a history of Morrison County.

HENRY ADELBERT RIDER Mr. Rider is the sheriff of Morrison County, Minnesota. He is of English descent, his grandfather having come to this country from England when a boy. His grandmother was also of English origin. His father, Bradford Rider, was born in Rhode Island, and was a farmer in moderate circumstances. His mother’s maiden name was Harriet Holmes.

Henry was born at North Adams, Massachusetts, January 16, 185 1. He had only the advantages of a common school education. In 1878 he came West and was connected with the engineering department of the Northern Pacific railroad in Dakota and Montana until 1880. In that year he went to Mexico as an engineer for the Mexican National railroad, running from the City of Mexico to Salvatierra. In 1882 he became connected with the Canadian Pacific railway as an engineer in charge of bridges. In 1883 he came to Minneapolis and was connected with the civil engineering department of the Northern Pacific Railway Company, remaining in their service until 1886, when he located in Little Falls Minnesota, and during that summer was resident engineer for the Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie & Atlantic near Prentice, Wisconsin. In 1888 he was again connected with the Northern Pacific railroad and remained in the service of that company until 1891, during that time having charge of the building of round houses and terminal buildings. In 1893 he had charge of the preliminary surveys of the Mississippi & Leech Lake railroad.

In politics Mr. Rider has always been a Republican, and takes an active interest in the promotion of the principles of that party. In 1894 he was nominated and elected sheriff of Morrison County, which position he still holds. He is a member of the Masonic order, I. O. O. F., A. O. U. W., K. O. T. M., and M. W. O. A. He is past grand in the I. O. O. F. and past grand warden of the same order, and at present is foreman of the A. O. U. W. His church affiliations are with the Episcopal church. Mr. Rider was married in January, 1886 to Mrs. Emma J. Merrick, of Minneapolis. Mr. and Mrs. Rider reside at Little Falls. Minnesota.

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