Richard C. McMullen

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Richard Cann McMullen (born January 2, 1868 in Glasgow , Delaware , † February 18, 1944 in Wilmington , Delaware) was an American politician and governor of the state of Delaware from 1937 to 1941 .

Early years

Richard McMullen attended his home public schools and Goldey College in Wilmington. He also worked as a temporary worker on a farm. After that he was employed in a tanner and leather factory. In 1917 he made his own and founded with two partners the Allied Kid Company in Wilmington. McMullen first became its Vice President and later General Manager.

Political rise

McMullen was a member of the Democratic Party . He became a councilor in Wilmington and a member of the Delaware Public Utility Commission . He was also a member of the state commission dealing with unemployment insurance. He turned down an offer to run for Mayor of Wilmington. Instead, he was elected as the new governor of his state in 1936 as his party's candidate with 51% of the vote against Republican Harry L. Cannon and independent candidate Isaac Short. McMullen was the first Democratic governor of Delaware since Ebe W. Tunnell , who served from 1897 to 1901.

Delaware Governor

Richard McMullen took up his new office on January 19, 1937. During his four-year term in office, the so-called Fair Labor Standard Act was passed, which stipulated a minimum wage of 40 cents and a 40-hour week. It was then that the last consequences of the global economic crisis were overcome. In 1940 McMullen ran for re-election. But when he suffered a heart attack a month before the election, he withdrew his candidacy. Therefore, he resigned on January 21, 1941 from his office.

Another résumé

After the end of his tenure, McMullen withdrew from politics and devoted himself to his private affairs. He died in February 1944 and was buried in Wilmington. He had three children with his wife, Florence Hutchinson.

literature

  • Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 1, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME McMullen, Richard C.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McMullen, Richard Cann (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 2, 1868
PLACE OF BIRTH Glasgow , Delaware
DATE OF DEATH February 18, 1944
Place of death Wilmington , Delaware