Richard Houston Dudley

Richard Houston Dudley (July 29, 1836 – August 30, 1914) was an American Democratic politician, Confederate soldier and businessman. He served as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee from 1897 to 1900.

Biography
He was born near Shelbyville in Bedford County, Tennessee on July 29, 1836.

Civil War
He fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War of 1861-1865. In May 1861, he enlisted in Company I, Maney's 1st Tennessee Infantry.

Personal life
He was married to Mattie Rose in September, 1865. She died soon after and he remarried to Mary E. Beasley on April 4, 1868, who died in 1907. He had no children.

Nashville
In 1873, he removed to Nashville where was a member of the wholesale grocery firm of Ordlay, Dudley and McGuire, and the hardware firm of Dudley Brothers & Lipscomb. He served as Mayor of Nashville from 1897 to 1900. He was supported during his campaign by Democrats and Irish Americans who lived in Nashville.