Representative Jonathan Richmond

Jonathan Richmond (July 31, 1774 – July 28, 1853) was a U.S. Representative from New York and a local official in Cayuga County during the early nineteenth century. He was born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where he completed his preparatory studies before embarking on a career in public service and administration.

After his early education in Massachusetts, Richmond became involved in public affairs and law enforcement. By the first decade of the nineteenth century he had relocated to central New York, where he emerged as a prominent local official. He served as Sheriff of Cayuga County, New York, from 1808 to 1812, a role that placed him at the center of county law enforcement and local judicial administration during a period of growth and settlement in the region. In addition to his duties as sheriff, he worked as a United States internal revenue collector, participating in the federal government’s efforts to administer and collect internal taxes in the post-Revolutionary era.

In 1813, Richmond moved more permanently to western New York, settling in Aurora, Cayuga County. Aurora, situated on the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, was then a developing community, and Richmond’s prior experience in county law enforcement and federal revenue collection contributed to his standing as a leading citizen. His move to Aurora marked the beginning of a long residence in that locality, from which he would conduct both his political and personal affairs.

Richmond’s prominence in local and regional politics led to his election to national office. He was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Sixteenth Congress and served as a U.S. Representative from New York from March 4, 1819, to March 3, 1821. His term in Congress coincided with the presidency of James Monroe and the period often referred to as the “Era of Good Feelings,” when the Democratic-Republican Party dominated national politics. As a member of the House of Representatives, Richmond represented the interests of his New York constituency at a time when issues of westward expansion, internal improvements, and the evolving balance between state and federal authority were central to congressional debate.

After the conclusion of his congressional service in 1821, Richmond returned to private life in Aurora, New York. Although specific details of his later professional activities are sparse, he remained a resident of Aurora for the rest of his life and continued to be identified with the community in which he had long lived and served. His earlier roles as sheriff, internal revenue collector, and congressman reflected a career devoted to public service at both the local and national levels.

Jonathan Richmond died in Aurora, New York, on July 28, 1853, just three days before his seventy-ninth birthday. He was interred in Aurora Cemetery, where his burial marked the final resting place of a figure who had participated in the civic and political life of New York during the formative decades of the early United States.