Ron Richard
American politician
Ronald Francis Richard (July 4, 1947 – June 9, 2023) was an American politician from the state of Missouri. A Republican, Richard served in the Missouri House of Representatives, including as Speaker of the House before being elected to the State Senate in 2010. He was the first speaker to later be elected Missouri senator in more than 100 years and became the first in Missouri's history to serve as top leader in both houses of his state's legislature, and the fifth person in United States history to do such after winning election for President Pro Tem of the Missouri Senate. Richard represented the 32nd Senatorial District.
Background
Personal life
Richard was born in Parsons, Kansas. After moving to Joplin during his childhood, Richard graduated from McAuley Catholic High School in 1965. Richard attended Missouri Southern State University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in 1969. He then furthered his education by attending graduate school at Southwest Missouri State College, receiving his Master of Arts in 1971.
Richard lived in Joplin, Missouri with his wife, Patty. They had two children together: Kara and Chad.
The public source identifies “Ron Richard” as american politician. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Richard, American and politician.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Ron Richard”, the useful work is to connect “american politician” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7364309. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1947, 2023, 2010 and 1965.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ron Richard”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ron Richard primary sources, Ron Richard archive and Richard research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ron Richard”?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ron Richard” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.