Dates

• Existence: 1881 - 1952

biographical statement

Preston Doremus Richards (1881-1952) was an educator, politician, lawyer, church leader.

Preston Doremus Richards was born September 15, 1881 to Willard B. and Ann Doremus Richards in Mendon, Cache County, Utah. He was the grandson to Willard Richards, a counselor to Brigham Young. Richards was educated in Salt Lake City, and began teaching shortly after, serving as the principal of four Salt Lake County Schools, as the supervisor of the Granite School District, and as a faculty member at the University of Utah. While teaching he was also voted to the Utah State Legislature and became one of the youngest members to serve. He continued in education by working on school legislation. He was once a delegate to the Republican National Convention. In 1950 he was a candidate for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator for Utah. After his teaching career, he pursued a law degree at the University of Chicago and Columbia University. He graduated with an LL.B degree, cum laude from the University of Chicago. He married Barbara Howell of Salt Lake City on September 17, 1912. They had four children together. For four years Richards served as Assistant Solicitor General of the State Department of the United States under President William Howard Taft. At this time he worked closely with J. Reuben Clark, Jr., who was undersecretary of state. While in Washington, Richards formulated the 16th and 17th amendments to the Constitution of the United States. He also authorized the proclamation of statehood for Arizona in 1912. When he returned from Salt Lake City he became a partner of the law firm of Clark, Richards and Bowen, with partners J. Reuben Clark, Jr., and Albert E. Bowen. They had branch offices in New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles. The offices were discontinued when Clark and Bowen were called to be general authorities of the LDS Church. Richards was also very active in LDS Church affairs. He served a mission to England as a young man. He served on a General Board of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association for 15 years. While living in Los Angeles he was a member of the Los Angeles Stake presidency. He was instrumental in bringing about the purchase of the site of the Los Angeles LDS Temple. He also corresponded closely with many general authorities and officers of the LDS Church such as Heber J. Grant, Joseph F. Smith, J. Reuben Clark, Jr., John A. Widtsoe, David O. MacKay, and Stephen L. Richards. Much of that correspondence is contained in the collection. He was active in the Los Angeles Breakfast Club as well as many other civic organizations in Los Angeles and in Utah. He worked to organize the University Religious Conference at the University of California at Los Angeles and at the University of Southern California. He was also instrumental in obtaining legislation for the building of a park around the "This Is The Place" monument in Emigration Canyon. Richards died of a heart attack January 31, 1952 in Salt Lake City at age 70. His funeral was held February 4, 1952 at the Assemby Hall at Temple Square.

Citation:

Improvement Era, June 1907: 561 (Preston D. Richards) Ancestry.com, Apr. 1, 2011 (Preston D. Richards) Alumni Directory The University of Chicago, 1919: p. 287 (Richards, Preston Doremus; LL.B. 1911; lawyer in Salt Lake City) p. 467 (Richards, Preston Doremus) Find a Grave, website viewed Apr. 1, 2011: Preston Doremus Richards (b. Sept. 15, 1881 in Mendon, Utah; d. Jan. 31, 1952 in Salt Lake City, Utah; m. Barbara Maughan Morgan Howell, Sept. 12, 1912 in Salt Lake City, Utah; mission to England, returned June, 1902; entered law department of the University of Chicago in June, 1908; formed a law partnership with J. Reuben Clark, jun. in Oct., 1910; member of the Utah State legislative from 1907 to 1908;

Found in 1 Collection or Record: