Richard Thatcher

Richard Thatcher (March 23, 1846 – November 28, 1909) was an American educator, and Civil War veteran. He was a school administrator in Kansas and Oklahoma, hotel operator and the first President of Territorial Normal School, now the University of Central Oklahoma.

Early life Richard Thatcher was born on March 23, 1846, in Alton, Illinois. His father, John Wesley Thatcher was a reverend. At the age of 15 he left to join the Union Army as a member of the 111th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He was captured on July 22, 1864, and sent to the notorious Andersonville Prison, where he began to have chronic respiratory issues. He was later released during a prisoner exchange. After the war he attended McKendree College in Lebanon, Illinois, and graduated in 1878.

Personal life

Thatcher married Melissa D. DeFord a native of Ashley, Illinois. They had five children, four daughters of whom survived infancy, Edna, Mae, Blanche, and Ethel.

Thatcher was also a Freemason, reaching the 33rd degree, and was the second master of the Edmond Lodge.

Death

Thatcher died on November 28, 1909, in Edmond, Oklahoma from complications from tuberculosis. He was 63 years old.