Richardson Dilworth
Encyclopedia
Richardson K. Dilworth (August 29, 1898 – January 23, 1974) was an American
Democratic Party
politician, born in the Pittsburgh area, who served as the 91st Mayor of Philadelphia from 1956 to 1962.
, where he was a member of Scroll and Key
and Delta Kappa Epsilon
.
He served in the Marine Corps in World Wars I and II.
In 1933, he founded the law firm of Dilworth Paxson. On August 6, 1935, he married Ann Elizabeth Kaufman. They had a daughter, Deborah, and a son, Richardson, Jr.
and others, he was at the forefront of a post-World War II reform movement in Philadelphia that led to the adoption of a modern city charter that consolidated city and county offices and introduced civil service examinations on a broad scale to replace much of the existing patronage system.
Dilworth initially ran for mayor in 1947 against Bernard Samuel
. In 1949, he was elected City Treasurer when Joseph Clark became City Controller. He ran for Governor of Pennsylvania, losing a close election in 1950
to John Fine
. In 1951, he was elected Philadelphia District Attorney
, while Clark was elected mayor. Clark and Dilworth's inaugurations ended a 67-year period of uninterrupted Republican control of the city (and instituted a period of uninterrupted Democratic control which has persisted past the year 2010). In 1955, he was elected Mayor of Philadelphia in a race against Thatcher Longstreth.
During their tenures as mayor, Clark and Dilworth introduced a variety of reforms and innovations. Among these was extensive high-rise public housing which would, a generation later, be condemned by many as a breeding ground for poverty and crime. However, they also greatly strengthened the city planning function of Philadelphia city government. Both retained Edmund Bacon as Executive Director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, and the Clark-Dilworth era is recognized as a high water mark for planning, during which the decline of Center City Philadelphia as a commercial and residential center was reversed and priority was given (particularly during Dilworth's administration) to saving the city's historic and irreplaceable Society Hill
district.
Dilworth resigned as Mayor on February 12, 1962 to launch a second bid for governor. He went on to lose the fall general election
to Republican Congressman William Scranton
.
, an ocean liner that collided with the MS
Stockholm
near Nantucket, Massachusetts
on July 25, 1956 and subsequently sank.
) for the Reading Company
, the railroad company headquartered in Philadelphia.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician, born in the Pittsburgh area, who served as the 91st Mayor of Philadelphia from 1956 to 1962.
Education and early career
He was born in Pittsburgh to Joseph Richardson Dilworth and Annie Hunter (Wood) Dilworth. In 1921 he graduated from Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, where he was a member of Scroll and Key
Scroll and Key
The Scroll and Key Society is a secret society, founded in 1842 at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. It is the wealthiest and second oldest Yale secret society...
and Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon
Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity founded at Yale College in 1844 by 15 men of the sophomore class who had not been invited to join the two existing societies...
.
He served in the Marine Corps in World Wars I and II.
In 1933, he founded the law firm of Dilworth Paxson. On August 6, 1935, he married Ann Elizabeth Kaufman. They had a daughter, Deborah, and a son, Richardson, Jr.
Political career
Along with Joseph ClarkJoseph S. Clark
Joseph Sill Clark, Jr. was a U.S. lawyer and Democratic Party politician in the mid-20th century. He served as the mayor of Philadelphia from 1952 until 1956, and as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1957 until 1969...
and others, he was at the forefront of a post-World War II reform movement in Philadelphia that led to the adoption of a modern city charter that consolidated city and county offices and introduced civil service examinations on a broad scale to replace much of the existing patronage system.
Dilworth initially ran for mayor in 1947 against Bernard Samuel
Bernard Samuel
Bernard "Barney" Samuel was a Republican Pennsylvania politician who served as mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from 1941 to 1952....
. In 1949, he was elected City Treasurer when Joseph Clark became City Controller. He ran for Governor of Pennsylvania, losing a close election in 1950
Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1950
The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 1950 was held on November 7. For the twenty-second time in twenty-five elections, the Republican candidate was victorious, but by a much smaller than usual marign. Superior Court Judge John S. Fine defeated Democrat Richardson Dilworth, the City...
to John Fine
John S. Fine
John Sydney Fine was the 35th Governor of Pennsylvania from January 16, 1951 until January 18, 1955. He was born in Alden, Pennsylvania near Nanticoke and quickly rose in Luzerne County politics, serving as Republican County Chairman and as a Court Judge...
. In 1951, he was elected Philadelphia District Attorney
District Attorney of Philadelphia
The Office of the District Attorney of Philadelphia is the largest prosecutor's office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million citizens of the City and County of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The current District Attorney of Philadelphia is Seth...
, while Clark was elected mayor. Clark and Dilworth's inaugurations ended a 67-year period of uninterrupted Republican control of the city (and instituted a period of uninterrupted Democratic control which has persisted past the year 2010). In 1955, he was elected Mayor of Philadelphia in a race against Thatcher Longstreth.
During their tenures as mayor, Clark and Dilworth introduced a variety of reforms and innovations. Among these was extensive high-rise public housing which would, a generation later, be condemned by many as a breeding ground for poverty and crime. However, they also greatly strengthened the city planning function of Philadelphia city government. Both retained Edmund Bacon as Executive Director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, and the Clark-Dilworth era is recognized as a high water mark for planning, during which the decline of Center City Philadelphia as a commercial and residential center was reversed and priority was given (particularly during Dilworth's administration) to saving the city's historic and irreplaceable Society Hill
Society Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Society Hill is a neighborhood in the Center City section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The neighborhood, loosely defined as bounded by Walnut, Lombard, Front and 7th Streets, contains the largest concentration of original 18th- and early 19th-century architecture of any place in...
district.
Dilworth resigned as Mayor on February 12, 1962 to launch a second bid for governor. He went on to lose the fall general election
Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, 1962
The Pennsylvania gubernatorial election of 1962 was held on November 6. Republican Bill Scranton and Democrat Richardson Dilworth, each a member of a powerful political family, faced off in a bitter campaign.After John F...
to Republican Congressman William Scranton
William Scranton
William Warren Scranton is a former U.S. Republican Party politician. Scranton served as the 38th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1963 to 1967. From 1976 to 1977, he served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations.-Early life:...
.
Personal
With his wife, Ann, he was a passenger on the SS Andrea DoriaSS Andrea Doria
SS Andrea Doria[p] was an ocean liner for the Italian Line home ported in Genoa, Italy, most famous for its sinking in 1956, when 46 people died. Named after the 16th-century Genoese admiral Andrea Doria, the ship had a gross register tonnage of 29,100 and a capacity of about 1,200 passengers and...
, an ocean liner that collided with the MS
Stockholm
MS Athena
MS Athena is a cruise ship owned and operated by Classic International Cruises. She was built in 1948 as the MS Stockholm by Götaverken in Gothenburg for the Swedish America Line...
near Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
on July 25, 1956 and subsequently sank.
After being Mayor
Following his tenure as Mayor, he served as Partner in the Philadelphia-based law firm of Dilworth Paxson LLP, which bears his name. He also served as president of the Philadelphia school board, and in 1971 was appointed one of two bankruptcy trustees (along with Andrew LewisAndrew L. Lewis, Jr.
Andrew Lindsay Lewis, Jr. is a businessman who was Secretary of Transportation for part of the administration of United States President Ronald Reagan. He is widely known as Drew Lewis....
) for the Reading Company
Reading Company
The Reading Company , usually called the Reading Railroad, officially the Philadelphia and Reading Rail Road and then the Philadelphia and Reading Railway until 1924, operated in southeast Pennsylvania and neighboring states...
, the railroad company headquartered in Philadelphia.
External links
- Dilworth Paxson website
- Philadelphia City Archives' finding aid for Dilworth's mayoral correspondence and files
- The Richardson Dilworth papers, covering a large part of his career as mayor, are available for research use at the Historical Society of PennsylvaniaHistorical Society of PennsylvaniaThe Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
.