author
A. G. (Albert Gallatin) Riddle
1816–1902
A self-made lawyer, antislavery politician, and prolific writer, he moved from frontier Ohio into some of the biggest public battles of the 19th century. His books draw on a life spent close to the law, Congress, and the struggle over slavery and civil rights.
1 Audiobook
Bart Ridgeley: A Story of Northern Ohio
by A. G. (Albert Gallatin) Riddle
About the author
Born in Monson, Massachusetts, in 1816, Albert Gallatin Riddle moved with his family to Ohio as a small child and built his career through study and persistence. He was admitted to the bar in 1840, served as prosecuting attorney in Geauga County, and became active in antislavery politics.
Riddle helped call Ohio's first Free-Soil convention and later served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863, during the Civil War. Sources on his life also describe him as a strong supporter of equal rights for African Americans, alongside his work as a lawyer and public speaker.
He wrote extensively as well, producing memoir, history, fiction, and political commentary. That mix of public action and literary output makes his work especially interesting: it comes from someone who was not just watching American history unfold, but taking part in it.