Reuben Rickard
Encyclopedia
Reuben Rickard was a mining engineer who served as President of the Town Board of Trustees in Berkeley, California
from 1891 to 1893, and again for about one month during 1895.
Rickard was born in England in 1841. He married Mary Elizabeth Humphreys October 3, 1863. They had six children, three of whom died young. Rickard was hired by John Taylor and Sons of London to oversee their mining and metallurgical operations in Pontgibaud, France in the 1860s. In 1875, the Rickard family emigrated to the United States as Reuben had been hired to manage the operations of the Richmond Mining Company in Eureka, Nevada
. He worked there six years before taking on another job inspecting mines for English investors throughout the western U.S. and Mexico. The family finally settled in Berkeley, California on July 24, 1882.
Reuben's wife died of tuberculosis
on March 28, 1895 in Central City, Colorado
.
Reuben Rickard died in 1896 from dysentery
while inspecting a mining project near Perth
in Western Australia
.
His son Thomas Rickard
also served as President of the Town Board of Trustees from 1903 to 1909. Another son, Edgar Rickard
was a close lifelong friend of President Herbert Hoover
. His daughter Leontine married William Bowditch Fisher on March 11, 1896. Reuben had a brother Alfred Rickard who was also a mining engineer based in Denver, Colorado
, and a nephew Thomas Arthur Rickard who was a prominent writer on the subject of mining.
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
from 1891 to 1893, and again for about one month during 1895.
Rickard was born in England in 1841. He married Mary Elizabeth Humphreys October 3, 1863. They had six children, three of whom died young. Rickard was hired by John Taylor and Sons of London to oversee their mining and metallurgical operations in Pontgibaud, France in the 1860s. In 1875, the Rickard family emigrated to the United States as Reuben had been hired to manage the operations of the Richmond Mining Company in Eureka, Nevada
Eureka, Nevada
Eureka is an unincorporated township in and the county seat of Eureka County, Nevada, United States. Eureka is by far the largest community in Eureka County...
. He worked there six years before taking on another job inspecting mines for English investors throughout the western U.S. and Mexico. The family finally settled in Berkeley, California on July 24, 1882.
Reuben's wife died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
on March 28, 1895 in Central City, Colorado
Central City, Colorado
Central City is a home rule municipality in Clear Creek and Gilpin counties in the U.S. state of Colorado, and the county seat of Gilpin County. The city population was 515 in the 2000 United States Census...
.
Reuben Rickard died in 1896 from dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
while inspecting a mining project near Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
His son Thomas Rickard
Thomas Rickard
Thomas Rickard was an early resident of Berkeley, California, and served as the last President of the Town Board of Trustees from 1903 to 1909, before the new city charter went into effect, creating the office of Mayor....
also served as President of the Town Board of Trustees from 1903 to 1909. Another son, Edgar Rickard
Edgar Rickard
Edgar Rickard was a mining engineer and lifelong confidant of U.S. President Herbert Hoover. He was the son of mining engineer Reuben Rickard, and the brother of Thomas Rickard, a mining engineer and one-time mayor of Berkeley, California. He was born on January 17, 1874 in Pontgibaud, France...
was a close lifelong friend of President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
. His daughter Leontine married William Bowditch Fisher on March 11, 1896. Reuben had a brother Alfred Rickard who was also a mining engineer based in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, and a nephew Thomas Arthur Rickard who was a prominent writer on the subject of mining.