Richard Brodhead

For the president of Duke University, see Richard H. Brodhead.

"Senator Brodhead" redirects here. For the Michigan State Senate member, see Thornton F. Brodhead.

Richard Brodhead (January 5, 1811 – September 16, 1863) was an American lawyer and politician from Easton, Pennsylvania. He represented Pennsylvania in both the U.S. House (1843 to 1849) and Senate (1851 to 1857).

Richard Brodhead
From 1856's Portraits of United States Senators with a Biographical Sketch of Each
United States Senator from Pennsylvania
In office March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1857
Preceded by	Daniel Sturgeon
Succeeded by	Simon Cameron
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 10th district
In office March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849
Preceded by	William Simonton
Succeeded by	Milo M. Dimmick
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In office 1837-1839
Personal details
Born	(1811-01-05)January 5, 1811 Lehman Township, Pennsylvania
Died	September 16, 1863(1863-09-16) (aged 52) Easton, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic

He was the father of U.S. Representative Jefferson Davis Brodhead, who also represented Pennsylvania.

Biography

Richard Brodhead was born in Lehman Township, Pennsylvania, the son of Hannah (Drake) and Richard Brodhead, Sr. Brodhead moved to Easton, Pennsylvania in 1830. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1836 and commenced practice in Easton. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from 1837 to 1839. He was appointed treasurer of Northampton County, Pennsylvania in 1841. His wife was Mary Jane Davis Bradford, a niece of Jefferson Davis of Mississippi.

Political career

Brodhead was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirtieth Congresses. He served as chairman of the United States House Committee on Revolutionary Pensions during the Twenty-ninth Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1848.

Brodhead was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate. He served as chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Claims during the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses. and the United States Senate Committee on Revolutionary Claims during Thirty-second Congress. He died in Easton in 1863. He is interred in the Easton Cemetery.

Legacy

He was the most recent resident of the Lehigh Valley area to serve as United States Senator from Pennsylvania until the election of Pat Toomey in 2010.

References

Commemorative Biographical Record of Northeastern Pennsylvania, including the Counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe (Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1900), 80–1; Papers of Jefferson Davis 1:520-1; 1:279, n20.

External links

• United States Congress. "Richard Brodhead (id: B000861)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• The Political Graveyard