Edmund Richardson
Encyclopedia
Edmund Richardson was an American
entrepreneur
who acquired great wealth during the mid-19th century by producing and marketing cotton
in the states of Mississippi
, Louisiana
, and Arkansas
. At the time of his death, he was described as the richest man in the South
.
, to James Richardson and Nancy Payne Ware. He was educated in common schools from the age of 10 to 14 but left school in 1832 and clerked in a dry goods store in Danville, Virginia
. In 1840, he inherited $2,800 and a few slaves
from his father's estate.
By his early 20s, Richardson had settled in Jackson, Mississippi
, where he formed a mercantile partnership with branch stores in neighboring communities. In 1848, Richardson married Margaret Elizabeth Patton of Huntsville, Alabama
, with whom he had seven children.
began in 1861, Richardson owned five cotton
plantations, country stores in the towns of Brandon
, Canton
, Jackson
, Morton
, and Newton, Mississippi
, and was a partner in Thornhill and Company, a New Orleans, Louisiana
, cotton factorage firm in the business of judging the quality of cotton, keeping abreast of current cotton crops, and analyzing cotton price trends.
When a Union
blockade
closed access to New Orleans during the Civil War, the Thornhill factorage firm was a half million dollars in debt and had customers who could not pay their credit obligations to the firm. Although the Civil War years caused debt problems for Richardson, he still owned his five plantations and 500 bales of cotton at the end of the war. Richardson marketed his assets, rebounded financially, and was out of debt within a year.
were overcrowded with vagrants. In 1868, Richardson exploited this abundance of labor by striking a deal with Federal
authorities in Mississippi (still under the rule of postwar Reconstruction), to use ex-slave prisoners to work his farms in the Mississippi-Yazoo Delta
. Richardson agreed to provide supervisory guards and to treat the prisoners well by providing food and clothing. The state agreed to pay Richardson $18,000 per year for maintenance plus the cost of transporting prisoners to and from his Delta plantation camps.
Richardson used his prison laborers to build levees, clear trees from swamps, and plow fields. Production of cotton using the convict lease
system allowed Richardson to amass a fortune. By the 1880s, he had a mansion in New Orleans and another in Jackson, Mississippi. He also acquired the Griffin-Spragins Plantation House
in the Mississippi Delta. He owned country stores, banks, steamboats, railroads, cotton-seed mills, a cotton commission house in New Orleans (Richardson and May), a controlling interest in the South's largest textile plant (Mississippi Mills
) in Wesson, Mississippi
, and dozens of cotton plantations in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Richardson was in partnership with General Nathan Bedford Forrest
in planting cotton on President's Island
near Memphis, TN from 1872 until Forrest’s death in 1877.
When the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition
came to New Orleans in 1884-1885, Richardson served as Chairman of the Board of Management, donating $25,000 of his personal funds to the event. In the mid-1880s, Richardson was one of the largest cotton growers in the world with 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) in cultivation and became known as the "Cotton King". Richardson was frequently referred to by the honorary title of "Colonel
", thought to be granted by the Governor of Mississippi or some political affiliate.
at Jackson, Mississippi and died before assistance could reach him. His obituary described him as "the richest man in the South and the largest cotton planter in the world, second only to the Khedive of Egypt". At the time of his death, Richardson's estate was estimated to be worth from 10 to 15 million dollars.
Richardson is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi. His monument is the tallest in Greenwood Cemetery and was hand-carved in Italy
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
who acquired great wealth during the mid-19th century by producing and marketing cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
in the states of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. At the time of his death, he was described as the richest man in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
.
Early years
Edmund Richardson was born June 28, 1818, in Caswell County, North CarolinaCaswell County, North Carolina
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 23,501 people, 8,670 households, and 6,398 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile . There were 9,601 housing units at an average density of 23 per square mile...
, to James Richardson and Nancy Payne Ware. He was educated in common schools from the age of 10 to 14 but left school in 1832 and clerked in a dry goods store in Danville, Virginia
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
. In 1840, he inherited $2,800 and a few slaves
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
from his father's estate.
By his early 20s, Richardson had settled in Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, where he formed a mercantile partnership with branch stores in neighboring communities. In 1848, Richardson married Margaret Elizabeth Patton of Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, with whom he had seven children.
Civil War economics
When the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
began in 1861, Richardson owned five cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
plantations, country stores in the towns of Brandon
Brandon, Mississippi
Brandon is a city in Rankin County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 16,436 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rankin CountyBrandon is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Canton
Canton, Mississippi
Canton is a city in Madison County, Mississippi. The population was 12,911 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Madison County, and situated in the northern part of the metropolitan area surrounding the state capital, Jackson....
, Jackson
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
, Morton
Morton, Mississippi
Morton is a city in Scott County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,482 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Morton is located at ....
, and Newton, Mississippi
Newton, Mississippi
Newton is a city in Newton County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 3,699 at the 2000 census. Country singer/songwriter Paul Overstreet was born in Newton.-Geography:Newton is located at ....
, and was a partner in Thornhill and Company, a New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, cotton factorage firm in the business of judging the quality of cotton, keeping abreast of current cotton crops, and analyzing cotton price trends.
When a Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
closed access to New Orleans during the Civil War, the Thornhill factorage firm was a half million dollars in debt and had customers who could not pay their credit obligations to the firm. Although the Civil War years caused debt problems for Richardson, he still owned his five plantations and 500 bales of cotton at the end of the war. Richardson marketed his assets, rebounded financially, and was out of debt within a year.
Post-war ventures
Since work for former slaves was almost impossible to find after the Civil War, many prisons in the SouthSouthern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
were overcrowded with vagrants. In 1868, Richardson exploited this abundance of labor by striking a deal with Federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
authorities in Mississippi (still under the rule of postwar Reconstruction), to use ex-slave prisoners to work his farms in the Mississippi-Yazoo Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
. Richardson agreed to provide supervisory guards and to treat the prisoners well by providing food and clothing. The state agreed to pay Richardson $18,000 per year for maintenance plus the cost of transporting prisoners to and from his Delta plantation camps.
Richardson used his prison laborers to build levees, clear trees from swamps, and plow fields. Production of cotton using the convict lease
Convict lease
Convict leasing was a system of penal labor practiced in the Southern United States, beginning with the emancipation of slaves at the end of the American Civil War in 1865, peaking around 1880, and ending in the last state, Alabama, in 1928....
system allowed Richardson to amass a fortune. By the 1880s, he had a mansion in New Orleans and another in Jackson, Mississippi. He also acquired the Griffin-Spragins Plantation House
Griffin-Spragins House
Griffin-Spragins House in Greenville, Mississippi was built in 1850. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984....
in the Mississippi Delta. He owned country stores, banks, steamboats, railroads, cotton-seed mills, a cotton commission house in New Orleans (Richardson and May), a controlling interest in the South's largest textile plant (Mississippi Mills
Mississippi Mills (Wesson, Mississippi)
Mississippi Mills was a cotton and wool textile manufacturing complex that operated in Wesson, Mississippi during the latter half of the 19th century. By 1892, Mississippi Mills was described as the largest industry of its kind in the South. Absentee management and the Panic of 1893 contributed to...
) in Wesson, Mississippi
Wesson, Mississippi
Wesson is a town in Copiah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,693 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Wesson is located at ....
, and dozens of cotton plantations in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Richardson was in partnership with General Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest
Nathan Bedford Forrest was a lieutenant general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. He is remembered both as a self-educated, innovative cavalry leader during the war and as a leading southern advocate in the postwar years...
in planting cotton on President's Island
President's Island
President's Island is a peninsula on the Mississippi River in southwest Memphis, Tennessee. The city's major river port and an industrial park are located there.-History:...
near Memphis, TN from 1872 until Forrest’s death in 1877.
When the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition
World Cotton Centennial
The 1884 World's Fair was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. At a time when nearly one third of all cotton produced in the United States was handled in New Orleans and the city was home to the Cotton Exchange, the idea for the fair was first advanced by the Cotton Planters Association...
came to New Orleans in 1884-1885, Richardson served as Chairman of the Board of Management, donating $25,000 of his personal funds to the event. In the mid-1880s, Richardson was one of the largest cotton growers in the world with 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) in cultivation and became known as the "Cotton King". Richardson was frequently referred to by the honorary title of "Colonel
Colonel (title)
The honorary title of Colonel is conferred by some states in the United States of America and certain units of the Canadian Forces. The origins of the titular colonelcy can be traced back to colonial and antebellum times when men of the landed gentry were given the title for financing the local...
", thought to be granted by the Governor of Mississippi or some political affiliate.
Death and legacy
On January 11, 1886, Edmund Richardson was stricken with apoplexyApoplexy
Apoplexy is a medical term, which can be used to describe 'bleeding' in a stroke . Without further specification, it is rather outdated in use. Today it is used only for specific conditions, such as pituitary apoplexy and ovarian apoplexy. In common speech, it is used non-medically to mean a state...
at Jackson, Mississippi and died before assistance could reach him. His obituary described him as "the richest man in the South and the largest cotton planter in the world, second only to the Khedive of Egypt". At the time of his death, Richardson's estate was estimated to be worth from 10 to 15 million dollars.
Richardson is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Jackson, Mississippi. His monument is the tallest in Greenwood Cemetery and was hand-carved in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.