Richard Gilpin Buckingham

Richard Gilpin Buckingham
Buckingham in a 1914 publication
Member of the Delaware House of Representatives
In office
1910–1912, 1916–1918, 1920–1922
Personal details
Born(1841-08-01)August 1, 1841
Mill Creek, Delaware, U.S.
DiedMarch 11, 1939(1939-03-11) (aged 97)
near Corner Ketch, Delaware, U.S.
Resting placeMill Creek Friends Burial Ground
PartyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Sarah A. Mote
​
(m. 1865)​

Adalaide Cranston
​
​
(m. 1884; died 1914)​
Children3, including Delsworth
Occupation
  • Politician
  • farmer
Military career
Branch
Union Army
Service years
1862–1865
Rank
Sergeant major
Unit4th Delaware Infantry Regiment
Conflicts

Richard Gilpin Buckingham (August 1, 1841 – March 11, 1939) was an American politician and farmer from Delaware. He served in the Delaware House of Representatives from 1910 to 1912, 1916 to 1918, and 1920 to 1922.

Early life

Richard Gilpin Buckingham was born on August 1, 1841, in Pleasant Hill, upper Mill Creek, Delaware, to Mary E. and Alban Buckingham.[1][2][3] His father was a farmer.[2] He went by the nickname "Dick".[2]

Career

In August 1862, Buckingham enlisted in the 4th Delaware Infantry Regiment, Company E. He attained the rank of sergeant major and served until May 1865.[2][4] He served at the Battle of White Oak Swamp and was wounded in the leg at the Third Battle of Petersburg.[2][5]

Buckingham was a Republican.[6] He was a member of the republican committee of New Castle County for over twenty years and from 1889 to 1904 served as its vice president.[2] In 1890, he was elected as president (commissioner) of the Levy Court. The Republican majority court was disbanded by the five commissioners bill in 1893.[6][2] According to The Morning News in 1904, under his two years of leadership of the court, the court paid off US$120,000 in its debts.[2]

In 1904, Buckingham ran for the Delaware House of Representatives to succeed incumbent William M. Eastburn.[2] He served three terms in the state house, from 1910 to 1912, 1916 to 1918, and 1920 to 1922.[6][7] He was a member of a commission that added the Stanley M. Arthurs painting showing the surrender of Robert E. Lee to the House chamber of the Old State House in Dover.[6][8]

Buckingham was a school commissioner.[6] He was a member of the Newark post of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) before it disbanded.[4] He was also a member of the Reynolds Post of the G.A.R. in Pleasant Hill.[2] He was commander of the Delaware G.A.R.[6][4] He was a director of the Newport National Bank.[2] He was also a farmer and was a member of The Grange.[1][2] He was a charter member and founder of the Union Grange, No. 1.[9]

Personal life

Buckingham married Sarah A. Mote on November 16, 1865.[3][10] They had two sons and one daughter, R. Gilpin Jr., Delsworth M., and Mary M.[3][6][8] He married Adalaide (or Adaline) Cranston on March 14, 1884. They had no children. She died in 1916.[3][11] He was a member of the Society of Friends at Mill Creek.[8]

Buckingham died of a heart attack on March 11, 1939, at his home near Corner Ketch.[6][4] He was buried at Mill Creek Friends Burial Ground.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Civil War Veteran 96 Years Old Tomorrow". Journal-Every Evening. July 31, 1937. p. 11. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Captain Richard G Buckingham a a Candidate for the Nomination (sic)". The Morning News. January 27, 1904. p. 6. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  3. 1 2 3 4 Walton, Hettie A.; Reeder, Eastburn (1903). The Eastburn Family. The Intelligencer Company Printers. p. 67. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Archive.org.Open access icon
  4. 1 2 3 4 "State's Oldest Civil War Vet is Dead at 97". Journal-Every Evening. March 11, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. ↑ "The Casualties". The Smyrna Times. April 6, 1865. p. 2. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "R. G. Buckingham, G.A.R. Leader, Dies". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 12, 1939. p. A21. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  7. ↑ Martin, Roger A. (1995). Memoirs of Twenty-Two Years in the Delaware State Senate. pp. 302–307. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Archive.org.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "War Vet". Journal-Every Evening. March 11, 1939. p. 4. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  9. ↑ "Pomona Grange Holds Meeting". Journal-Every Evening. June 1, 1939. p. 25. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  10. ↑ Cooke, Margaret Watson; Hanneman, Ruth Kennedy (1961). William Buckingham Family. p. 25. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Archive.org.Open access icon
  11. ↑ "Deaths". Friends' Intelligencer: A Religious and Family Journal: 236. Retrieved June 23, 2026 – via Archive.org.Open access icon
  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Richard Gilpin Buckingham at Wikimedia Commons
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.