Evening star., 1931-06-21
Must Reckon With Ritchie
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handsomest Of Presidents. With his
charm and congeniality. the Governor
as may be imagined, is popular with
| the woman voters of Maryland and II
| he should head the ticket of his party
| in q national campaign 1t may reason
! ably be expected he would get his full
share Of the woman vote Of the entire
country.
Admitted to Bar in 1898.
Born in Richmond. Va, August 20
! 1876, the son of Judge Albert and
| Elizabeth Caskie Cabell Richie. the
| present Governor of Maryland first saw
the light at the home of his mothers
parents. but was taken to Baltimore
three weeks later. He was educated al
private schools and at John Hopkins
University, where he was graduated in
| 1896. In 1898 he received the degree
Of LII. B. at the University of Maryland
He began practice Of law In Baltimore
| in 1898 with the firm of Steele,
| SemmeS. Carey e. Bond and was ad-
mitted to the firm in 1900. He was
| appointed assistant city solicitor OF
Baltimore in 1903 and held this posi-
| tion until 1910.
When named assistant city solicitor
| lsC lcIt lIlC OlQ dll0 bCCaAIiC q
member of Ritchie & Janney, his part
rer being Stuart S. Janney, a classmate
| At that time he was not disposed to
| go into politics, but to devote himself
| to the law. In 1907 he became a pro-
fesSor Of law at the University of Mary
! land and taught three evenings while
attending also to the duties of his Office
and of his law frm. In 1910 he was
appointed assistant general counsel tc
IS,,k1I ~io Of Ra L
timore and held this post for three
years. In reality, he was peoples
counsel before the commission, the
| first to hold this position. and he
| looked after the public interest IS
| against that of the public utilities.
In this capacity he defeated an at
| tempt of the Baltimore Gas e. Electric
| Co. to get higher rates, and. more than
that, forced a reduction of rates after g
hard fight which continued more thar
| year. His success in fighting in such
causes brought him into prominence
! and may be said to account in large
measure for his career in politics. He
was nomina ted by the Democratic party
| for attorney general of Maryland in
| 1915 and elected. He held this of1ce
until 1920. Through the World War he
| took an important part, President Will
son appointing him general counsel to
the War Industries Board. He served
in this capacity from June, 1918. to the
end of that year. He was elected Gov
ernor in 1919, began the duties Of that
office in 1920, and has held 1t continu-
ously since.
Has Increased His Majority.
Perhaps the best evidence as to Gov
RitchieS hold on his own State is to
be found in the fact that he was elected
the first time by q majority Of only los
votes and since then his majority has
steadily increased. Last Fall he won
by $4,000 over popular Republican op-
ponent, Mayor william F. Broening OF
Baltimore, and this in Commonwealth
which has generally refused Governors
even second terms
Friends pointing to this record, say
that none but a man Of unusual quail
f1cations could have won such q series
of popular Endorsements. They ascribe
his extraordinary career in the gov
ernorship to his personal popularity, to
his views on government and affairs,
and to his hard and conscientious work
In carrying on the duties Of his ONCE
Nor can 1t be overlooked that Gov.
Richie has developed no small measure
Of political skill, and that he has built
up about him one of the strongest and
most effective political organizations to
be found in any State. Yet he Is only
q passable public speaker.
Gov Ritchie has few diversions. He
was brought up in the school of hard
work He still believes in it. He lives
. in the executive mansion at Annapolis
and keeps in touch with the people OF
Maryland by entering sympathetically
into their affairs. He may be found
making a political speech one night at
Rockville or Marlboro and the next day
attending the Preakness at Pimlico. He
, keeps Mt by swimming, boating and q
moderate amount of outdoor life, and
is as much in touch with the farmers OF
| Montgomery and the coal miners Of the
wealthy clubs and fashionable circles OF
Baltimore.
Father Was . Judge
Judge Albert Ritchie, father of the
Governor, was q member of the Su.
preme Court of Baltimore. He married
Miss Elizabeth Caskie Cabell Of Rich.
mond, member of q distinguished fam.
lily Of Virginia. Miss Cabell at the time
was known as one of the three most
beautiful young women Of the Virgins
capital. A woman Of exceptional abil-
ity, she had one great work and purpose
In life, and that was to help her son
achieve success In his profession and
in his political career.
Mrs. Ritchie died only o short time
ago at the age of 70, and the State OF
Maryland and the City of Baltimore
mourned her as . public parsonage and
paid her the highest tributes. Being
divorced. Gov. Ritchie has been left
alone by his mothers death. For about
two years before she died, illness con-
fined her to her room In the Execu-
tive Mansion at Annapolis and through
out this time. and in fact for many
years, the care and comfort of his
mother was the foremost thought OF
the Governor.
Gov. Ritchie is called an extreme
conservative by some. This is because
OF his advocacy of State rights and
local self-government and because OF
his insistent stand against the central
1zation oe power in Washington. But