Zalmon Richards

Zalmon Richards (August 11, 1811 – November 1, 1899) was an American educator from Washington, D.C. He is best known as one of the founders and the first president of the National Teachers Association, now known as the National Education Association. Richards also played a large role in Congress passing a bill creating the Office of Education, precursor to the Department of Education. His former home in Washington, D.C., was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

Early life Zalmon was born in 1811 in Cummington, Massachusetts, to Nehemiah and Elizabeth (née Packard) Richards. Regarding his unusual first name, Zalmon signed his name only with a "Z" and had "vials of wrath if one called him 'Zed'." His father was a farmer and descendant of English emigrant William Richards, a Plymouth colonist. Richards became interested in education and religion due to the influence of his first teacher, Sybil Bates. He regularly attended the local school from the ages of three to ten. For the next four years, he was only able to attend school for one semester a year due to him helping his family on their farm. Around this time Richards heard a lecture on temperance and made a vow to never consume alcohol, which according to him, he kept. When he was fifteen, Richards joined a local Baptist church his father had co-founded and regularly attended Baptist churches the rest of his life.

During the Civil War, Richards was involved with the Christian Commission, visiting sick and wounded soldiers in local hospitals. Richards and Mary moved to 1301 Corcoran Street NW in 1882. The home is also designated a contributing property to the Greater Fourteenth Street Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.