512 RICHARDS. RICHARDSON. incumbent upon him as executive of the municipal government of a large city, Mr. Richards is a central figure in nearly all the civic societies of Haverhill, including the Masons and the Odd Fellows. He is a Knight Templar, ex-governor of the U. O. P. F. ; past councilor of Junior O. U. A. M., a Knight of Pythias, and a mem- ber of the Uniform Rank, K. of P., of which he is a staff officer, with title of colonel ; a member of the I. O. R. M., and M. V. C. C. of Haverhill, Lawrence, and Lowell. He is one of the vice-presidents of the Haverhill board of trade. He served one year in the city council, and two years on the board of aldermen, one term of which he was chairman of that body. He ran for the mayoralty in 1888, and was defeated by the largest vote ever cast in that city against a candidate. The next year, however, he retrieved his political fortunes, defeating the same candidate and FRED. G. RICHARDS being elected by the largest majority ever given a candidate for that office. Mr. Rich- ards is the youngest man yet elected to the office now held by him. He is bringing to his work as executive those qualities which have made him so popular and so promi- nent, and his administration bids fair to be of great benefit to the city he is serving, with which he is so honorably identified. RICHARDSON, Charles Addison, son of Elishaand Harriet (Blake) Richard- son, was born in Franklin, Norfolk county, October 9, 1S29. He was educated in the district schools of his native town, at the academies in Franklin and the neighboring town of Hol- liston, and at the state normal school in YVestfield. He commenced a preparation for the ministry, but feeble health pre- vented the continued prosecution of this design. At the age of fifteen he became a member of the church in Franklin, then under the pastoral care of Rev. Tertius D. Southworth, a successor of Dr. Emmons. He taught schools in Medway, Franklin, Montague, South Maiden (now Everett) and Dedham. Mr. Richardson was in iS54-'5 a clerk in the book-store of John P. Jewett & Co., in Boston. In January, 1856, he became one of the proprietors and editors of the "Congregationalist," a religious newspaper founded in Boston in 1849. The large and steady increase in the circulation of this journal is due, in no small degree, to Mr. Richardson's energy and sound discretion. When he took the paper in charge as its managing editor, he threw himself into the work with great enthusiasm. During the war for the Union he prepared the summary of news for each successive week, which presented a careful and comprehensive his- tory of the progress of events. This sum- mary gained for the paper a high reputa- tion, it attracted many readers, and was pronounced by many persons the best ac- count they could anywhere find of the trans- actions of the times. Mr. Richardson has always had charge of the selections and communications for the paper, and has at- tended to the "make-up" every week of his connection with it, save when absent from home. He was an active participant in the pur- chase of the old " Boston Recorder," work- ing earnestly to accomplish a union of the two papers, which was finally effected in 1867. In 1869 he made a trip to Europe lasting four or live months, and was again abroad in 1880, attending the world's Sunday-school convention in London. He was present at the famous Ober-Ammergau Play the same year, and wrote various let- ters to the "Congregationalist" on both these trips. He also visited California in 1874, going out by the Isthmus and return- ing overland. In 1882 he again visited the Pacific coast, including Oregon. Since 1855, Mr. Richardson has resided in Chelsea, where, for a considerable time,
