Born on March 15, 1856, in Ironton, Lawrence County, Ohio, Richards was the son of Samuel and Sarah Richards. Having received his early education in the schools of his native town, Richards received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1875 from Swarthmore College, an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1877 from Harvard University and read law in 1879, in the office of Judge William Wartenbee Johnson, later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio. He was a prosecutor for Lawrence County from 1880 to 1882. He was city solicitor for Ironton from 1885 to 1889. He was a member of the Ohio Senate from 1890 to 1892, serving as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He was the 20th Attorney General of Ohio from 1892 to 1896, his term running currently with that of Governor of OhioWilliam McKinley. He was a member of the Commission to Codify Insurance Laws of Ohio from 1895 to 1896. He was counsel for the Commission on Taxation of the Ohio General Assembly in 1896. He was general counsel for the Ohio State Board of Medical Registration and Examination from 1896 to 1898. He was special counsel for the Ohio State Board of Appraisers and Assessors from 1896 to 1898. He was the 10th Solicitor General of the United States from July 1, 1897 to March 16, 1903.
While serving as the Ohio Attorney General, Richards successfully fought through the courts the claim of the state that though it had granted the canal beds to these cities for streets and sewage purposes, the cities had no right to turn them over to the railroads and that the railroads must surrender their use to the state. The tax bills which he as counsel for the legislative committee helped to draft, he was called upon to uphold in state courts and in the United States Supreme Court. His successful defense of these bills, which taxed the franchises of foreign corporations, the property of interstate express companies by the "unit" rule, and the proportionate share of cars of sleeping car companies, gave rise to decisions which became the basis for much important excise and property-tax law.
Notable cases as Solicitor General
As Solicitor General, Richards was called upon to handle the difficult legal questions arising out of the Spanish–American War, particularly in reference to the territory acquired by the United States. A number of the Insular Cases were argued by him in the Supreme Court, as were also the Joint Traffic Association and the Addyston Pipe & Steel Company cases. He prepared the briefs and handled the Northern Securities case until his appointment to the bench in 1903.
