Library of Congress

RIDDLE, George Read, a Representative and a Senator from Delaware; born in New Castle, Del., in 1817; pursued classical studies and attended Delaware College; studied civil engineering and engaged in the construction of railroads and canals; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1848 and commenced practice in Wilmington, Del., the same year; commissioner to retrace the Mason and Dixon line in 1849; deputy attorney general 1849-1850; elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-second and Thirty-third Congresses (March 4, 1851-March 3, 1855); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1854 to the Thirty-fourth Congress; chairman, Committee on Engraving (Thirty-third Congress); elected to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of James A. Bayard and served from February 2, 1864, until his death in Washington, D.C., on March 29, 1867; interment in the Wilmington and Brandywine Cemetery, Wilmington, Del.