Richard M. Bishop

Richard Moore Bishop

Richard Moore Bishop (born November 4, 1812 in Fleming County , Kentucky , †  March 2, 1893 in Jacksonville , Florida ) was an American politician and from 1878 to 1880 the 34th  governor of the state of Ohio .

Early years

Richard Bishop attended local schools in his home in Kentucky. Then he worked as a shop clerk. After four years he was a partner in the shop. Between 1838 and 1841 he was involved in the pig trade with his brother. They exported pigs to the south . The deal ended in bankruptcy when prices plummeted and banks in the state of Mississippi could no longer pay. Even so, the two brothers stayed together on business. This partnership was only dissolved when Richard moved to Cincinnati in 1848 . Richard Bishop founded his own trading company there, with annual sales of around five million dollars after a few years.

Political career

Bishop's political career began in Cincinnati in 1857. That year he was elected to the city council. Between 1859 and 1861 he was mayor of this city. Then he temporarily withdrew into private life. In 1873 he was a member of a commission to revise the Ohio Constitution. In 1877 he was elected as the Democratic Party candidate for the new governor of his state, with 48.9 percent of the vote in front of the Republican William H. West (44.9 percent).

Bishop took office on January 14, 1878. During his two-year term in office, the penal system was reformed and the welfare institutions reorganized. Other laws have also been revised. Otherwise, his term of office passed without any particular incident.

Another résumé

After the end of his tenure, Bishop withdrew from politics. He continued to pursue private business and died in 1893. Richard Bishop was married with three children.

Web links

• Richard Bishop in the National Governors Association (English)
• Richard Bishop in the Ohio History Connection Archives
• Richard M. Bishop in the database of Find a Grave (English)