William Henry Richmond

William Henry Richmond
Born	Template:Birth date Marlborough, Hartford County, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	March 14, 1922(1922-03-14) (aged 100)
Occupation	Coal mining entrepreneur
Known for	Development of Lackawanna Coal Mine region; Richmond Memorial Library namesake

William Henry Richmond (1821–1922) was a prominent American coal mining entrepreneur who played a key role in developing the Lackawanna Coal Mine region around Scranton, Pennsylvania, during the latter half of the 19th century. He is also commemorated through the naming of the Richmond Memorial Library located in Marlborough, Connecticut.

Early years

Born on October 23, 1821, in Marlborough, Hartford County, Connecticut, Richmond descended from a lineage tracing back to 11th-century Brittany and early settlers instrumental in establishing Taunton, Massachusetts in 1637. Another forebear, William Wadsworth, emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1632 and contributed to founding the Connecticut Colony.

His father, William Wadsworth Richmond, practiced as a blacksmith running a workshop that supported a local factory producing wagons and window blinds in Marlborough. Later, he co-founded the Richmond and Kellogg foundry with another blacksmith.

One of five siblings, Richmond attended public schools until he was 13 before entering the workforce. Following the economic downturn caused by the Panic of 1837, he returned home at age 15 to assist with farm duties and his father’s shop while continuing his education.

Career

In 1842, Richmond secured employment at a store in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, where he remained for three years before relocating to Carbondale, Pennsylvania to establish a retail business with partner Robinson. Starting as a general merchandise store, Richmond & Robinson introduced some of the earliest woodworking machinery to the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valleys. By 1851, they expanded into manufacturing doors, coal cars, and other wooden products. Richmond acquired full ownership by buying out his partner in 1853.

After a fire destroyed his establishment in 1855, he rebuilt it by the following year. In 1847, Richmond married Lois Roxanna Morss; together they had three daughters, all of whom graduated from Vassar College.

Richmond entered the coal industry in January 1860 by founding Richmond & Co. alongside a former executive from the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, initiating mining operations near Blakely, Pennsylvania. By 1861, he divested from his woodworking business to dedicate himself exclusively to coal mining. His company pioneered the region’s first coal breaking facility, which processed coal for sale.

In 1863, Richmond & Co. merged with the Elk Hill Coal and Iron Company, where Richmond assumed roles as president, principal shareholder, and general manager. Coal breaking remained integral; in 1889, a new plant was established at Dickson City, Pennsylvania, closer to mining locations. By 1891, this colliery was processing approximately 1,000 tons of coal daily. Anthracite output from the Lackawanna and Wyoming Valleys rose dramatically—from just over 200,000 tons annually in the 1840s to nearly 26 million tons by 1897—substantially increasing Richmond’s fortune.

By the closing years of the 19th century, Elk Hill Coal and Iron operated two mines in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania yielding between 400,000 and 500,000 tons yearly; additionally managing a third colliery at Dickson City and opening a fourth north of Carbondale in 1893.

Richmond publicly defended coal operators’ economic contributions amid criticism. In a speech delivered in 1903, he emphasized anthracite coal’s affordability as a heating fuel compared to wood despite negative public perceptions labeling coal producers as "Coal Barons."

Beyond coal mining interests, Richmond invested in enterprises such as the Crystal Lake Water Company and founded the Carbondale Gas Company in 1867. He also held positions as an original stockholder and director at the Third National Bank.

Later life

From 1842 onward, Richmond was deeply involved with the Presbyterian Church and held the position of treasurer for the Lackawanna Bible Society for three decades. Additionally, he was a member of the American Bible Society.

In terms of political affiliation, Richmond initially aligned with the Republican Party until the mid-1890s, after which he shifted his support to the Prohibition Party. His political pursuits included a 1904 candidacy for the United States Congress representing the Prohibition Party, and in 1908 he served as a Presidential elector supporting Prohibition candidate Eugene W. Chafin.

In 1874, Richmond purchased a 75-acre farm near Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in raising Jersey cows as a leisure interest. By 1886, he had sold the majority of his livestock but retained ten cows for his own use. His son-in-law, practicing law, held the role of vice president at Elk Valley Coal and Iron. During his later years, Richmond's daughter and grandchildren resided with him.

Passing and remembrance

Richmond passed away on March 14, 1922, at the age of 101.

His legacy endures through the Richmond Memorial Library in Marlborough, Connecticut, which bears his name.

Works

• "Address by Hon. William H. Richmond of Scranton, Pa.," featured in Mary Hall, Report of the Celebration of the Centennial of the Incorporation of the Town of Marlborough: August 23d and 25th, 1903. Hartford: Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company, 1904; pp. 80–86.
• "Recollections of Ninety-Five Years in Connecticut and the Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania," Journal of American History, vol. 11, no. 3 (1917), pp. 424–444.

Further reading

• Frank Allaben, "The Grand Old Man of Scranton," Journal of American History, vol. 11, no. 3 (1917), pp. 421–424.
• Frederick L. Hitchcock, Sketch of Life of William Henry Richmond. Scranton, PA: F.H. Gerlock & Co. Printers, 1917.
• Thomas F. Murphy, Jubilee History: Commemorative of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Creation of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania... Topeka, KS: Historical Publishing Co., 1928.