Charles Richardson and James Cushman Papers

Charles Richardson was born in 1843 in Northfield, Massachusetts. He began his career as an apprentice at the Lowell Machine Shop in Lowell, Mass. Richardson enlisted in the Army at the start of the Civil War, first serving with the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment, and later with the Twenty-sixth Massachusetts Regiment, with which he served until the end of the war, earning the rank of Lieutenant.

After the war, Richardson returned to Lowell and resumed employment at the Lowell Machine Shop until 1869, when he began work as a journeyman machinist at the Lawrence Hosiery Company, eventually holding various positions at the company. In 1888, he was briefly superintendent of the Clarke Thread Co. in Newark, New Jersey. After holding this position for less than a year, he returned to Lowell and became agent at the Appleton Mills, a position which he held for ten years. He finished his career in the textile industry at Lancaster Mills, in Clinton, Massachusetts, where he was agent.

Upon resigning from Lancaster Mills, Richardson was elected County Commissioner for Middlesex County, and held this position until his death on February 24th, 1913.

Throughout his life, Richardson was interested in politics, both local and national. Much of his personal correspondence includes references to political issues and figures. He frequently corresponded with Charles H. Allen during Allen’s time in the House of Representatives. Allen later went on to become Assistant Secretary of the Navy and the first U.S. appointed civilian governor of Puerto Rico. Their correspondence frequently discusses issues at the House of Representatives, with Richardson offering advice and opinions.