Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Richards

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Richards
Birth nameHenry Melchior Muhlenberg Richards
BornAugust 16, 1848
Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S.[citation needed]
DiedSeptember 28, 1935(1935-09-28) (aged 87)
Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Buried
Charles Evans Cemetery
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service / branchUnion Army
Years of service1864-1878
Rank Captain
CommandsSpanish–American War
Battles / wars
Alma materUnited States Naval Academy

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Richards (August 16, 1848 – September 28, 1935) was an American military officer who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and then as a captain in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War. He was a member of the Muhlenberg family, a United States political, religious, and military dynasty based in the state of Pennsylvania.[1] Muhlenberg College (an ELCA affiliated institution) in Allentown, Pennsylvania is named in after the family's honor.

Richards was the grandson of Matthias Richards and great-grandson of Henry Muhlenberg.[2][3] In 1905, the college purchased and relocated to a 51-acre (21 ha) tract located in Allentown's West End, the site of today's campus.[4] Richards commanded regiments and campaigns during the Spanish-American War. Richards was also a published author, writer and wrote numerous books. His wife Ella was also a descendant of the Van Leer Family, some the earliest settlers of the Pennsylvania Colony who built a wealthy iron business and Van Leer's were descendants of a noble mayor Werner Von Loehr of Mainz.[5][6][2][7]

  1. ^ "Man of Vision - The Muhlenberg Monument - Stanley Wanlass". stanleywanlass.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  2. ^ a b Wallace, Paul A. W. (1950). The Muhlenbergs of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 90. She was only fifteen when, on May 8, 1782, she was married to Matthias Richards, a prosperous saddler of Boyertown, Pennsylvania.
  3. ^ "Colby VP Randy Helm Named President Of Muhlenberg College". Muhlenberg College. Archived from the original on 2003-04-01. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  4. ^ Lindsey Aspinall. "The history of Haas College Center". The Muhlenberg Weekly. Archived from the original on 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  5. ^ "Genealogy Trails Lebanon County Pennsylvania Biographies".
  6. ^ Foster, Gordon B., ed. (1942-05-23), "THE EPIC STORY OF THE HEROIC MUHLENBERG FAMILY", The epic story of the heroic Muhlenberg family, Muhlenberg College, May twenty-fourth to June first, 1942 (txt), Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania: MUHLENBERG BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, Inc., retrieved 2010-09-06
  7. ^ "Samuel Van Leer welcomed the Revolution with enthusiasm".