Richard H. Cardwell

Richard Henry Cardwell (August 1, 1845 – March 19, 1931) was an American politician and jurist. He was Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates 1887–1895, and a justice of the state Supreme Court of Appeals 1895–1916.

Richard H. Cardwell
Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia
In office January 1, 1895 – November 16, 1916
Preceded by	Drury A. Hinton
Succeeded by	Robert R. Prentis
36th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office December 8, 1887 – March 3, 1894
Preceded by	Charles E. Stuart
Succeeded by	John F. Ryan
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Hanover County
In office December 7, 1881 – January 1, 1895
Preceded by	Henry T. Wickham
Succeeded by	Bickerton L. Winston
Personal details
Born	Richard Henry Cardwell (1845-08-01)August 1, 1845 Madison, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	March 19, 1931(1931-03-19) (aged 85) Ashland, Virginia, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Kate Howard
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1863–1865
Unit	45th North Carolina Infantry
Battles/wars	American Civil War

Cardwell was born in Madison, North Carolina. His father, Richard Perrin Caldwell, died when he was an infant, and he had great difficulty in obtaining an education. As a youth, he attended public school and worked on the family farm in the summer and fall. He attended, for brief sessions, the Beulah Male Institute and the Madison Male Academy.[1]

In 1863, he became a private soldier in a North Carolina company of the Confederate Army and served until the end of the war. He then returned to his home but, in 1869, moved to Hanover County, Virginia,[1] and, four years later, to Doswell, Virginia, where he lived for two years. Because he was devoted to the study of law, he carried on his education by studying at night and, for a while, in the office of Samuel C. Redd. He was admitted to the bar in 1874 and began practice in Richmond.[1][2]

From 1881 to 1895, he was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from Hanover County, serving as Speaker from 1887 onward. In 1894 he was elected to the Supreme Court of Appeals.[1] He was made president of the court on June 12, 1916, but resigned on November 6, 1916.

Cardwell died at his home, Prospect Hill, on March 19, 1931, and was interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Ashland, Virginia. His son, William D. Cardwell, was Speaker of the House of Delegates from 1906 to 1908.