Representative Edwin Darlington Ricketts

Edwin Darlington Ricketts (August 3, 1867 – July 3, 1937) was an American lawyer, educator, and Republican politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Ohio for three terms in the early 20th century. His congressional service, from 1915 to 1917 and again from 1919 to 1923, took place during a significant period in American history marked by World War I and major domestic political change, during which he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his Ohio constituents.

Ricketts was born near Maxville, Perry County, Ohio, on August 3, 1867. He was raised in rural Ohio and attended the local public schools, receiving the basic education that would prepare him for a career first in teaching and later in law and politics. His early life in a small Ohio community helped shape his understanding of the needs and concerns of the residents he would later represent in public office.

Before entering the legal profession, Ricketts devoted himself to education. He worked for twelve years as a teacher and superintendent of schools, a role that placed him in positions of both classroom instruction and administrative responsibility. This experience in public education provided him with practical knowledge of local governance and community affairs and established his reputation as a civic-minded leader in his region of Ohio.

After more than a decade in education, Ricketts turned to the study of law. He pursued legal studies and was admitted to the bar in 1899. Following his admission, he commenced the practice of law in Logan, Ohio, the county seat of Hocking County. As a practicing attorney, he built a professional career that complemented his growing involvement in Republican Party politics and laid the groundwork for his later election to national office.

Ricketts was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fourth Congress, serving from March 4, 1915, to March 3, 1917, as a Representative from Ohio. A member of the Republican Party, he contributed to the legislative process during this first term in office, participating in the democratic process at a time when the United States was grappling with issues related to neutrality and eventual involvement in World War I. He sought reelection in 1916 but was an unsuccessful candidate for the Sixty-fifth Congress.

After this initial setback, Ricketts returned to the political arena and was elected again as a Republican to the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses, serving from March 4, 1919, to March 3, 1923. During these two additional terms, he continued to represent his Ohio district in the U.S. House of Representatives and to take part in national legislative deliberations during the postwar period. His service in Congress from 1915 to 1923 thus encompassed three terms in office. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1922 to the Sixty-eighth Congress, which concluded his tenure in the House.

Following his congressional service, Ricketts resumed the practice of law in Logan, Ohio, returning to the profession he had maintained before and between his terms in Congress. He remained active in Republican politics and served as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1928, reflecting his continued engagement with party affairs and national political developments even after leaving elective office.

Edwin Darlington Ricketts died in Logan, Ohio, on July 3, 1937. He was interred in Oak Grove Cemetery in Logan. His career as an educator, lawyer, and three-term Republican Representative from Ohio placed him among the public figures who helped shape federal policy during a transformative era in American history.