Edwin R. Ridgely

Edwin Reed Ridgely (May 9, 1844 – April 23, 1927) was an American businessman, Civil War veteran and politician who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Kansas from 1897 to 1901.

Edwin R. Ridgely
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kansas's 3rd district
In office March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1901
Preceded by	Snyder S. Kirkpatrick
Succeeded by	Alfred Metcalf Jackson
Personal details
Born	Edwin Reed Ridgely (1844-05-09)May 9, 1844 Lancaster, Illinois, US
Died	April 23, 1927(1927-04-23) (aged 82) Girard, Kansas, US
Resting place	Girard Cemetery
Political party	Populist

Biography

Born near Lancaster, Illinois, Ridgely attended district school in the winter months.

Civil War

During the Civil War enlisted as a private in Company C, One Hundred and Fifteenth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in 1862. He was promoted to sergeant and served until the end of the war.

Career

He moved to Girard, Kansas, in 1869 and engaged in general merchandising and in agricultural pursuits. He left the Republican Party in 1876 because of its financial policy. He lived in Ogden, Utah, from 1889 to 1893 and then returned to Kansas.

Congress

Ridgely was elected as a Populist to the Fifty-fifth and Fifty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1901). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1900.

Later career and death

He resumed agricultural pursuits in Mulberry, Kansas. He died in Girard, Kansas on April 23, 1927. He was interred in Girard Cemetery.

References

• United States Congress. "Edwin R. Ridgely (id: R000244)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress