Access is granted in accordance with the Protocols for the University Archives and Records Center.

 

PROVENANCE

"Mrs. Horace T. Richards," probably the widow of Horace Clark Richards, donated the papers of both Horace Clark Richards and his father, Thomas Webb Richards, in several small installments, from November 1945 to May 1946.

 

ARRANGEMENT

The Horace Clark Richards collection contains one series, Papers, that is arranged chronologically.

 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Horace Clark Richards was born in 1868 to Thomas Webb and Henriette Adele (Hadry) Richards. He entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1884 and earned the A.B. degree in 1888. That same year, he enrolled in graduate school at Penn and received a Ph.D. in Physics in 1891. He also studied at Johns Hopkins University from 1890-1892. As a student at Penn, 1891. He also studied at Johns Hopkins University from 1890-1892. As a student at Penn, Richards won the Matriculate Greek prize of first rank, the Freshman Greek prize and the Junior Greek prize. He also won the first place Junior Mathematical prize. He was Editor and Business Manager of the student newspaper, The Pennsylvanian, and moderator of the Philomathean Society, a student literary organization. Additionally, he acted the part of Megrian in "The Acharnians," an ancient Greek tragedy, produced by the University in 1886.

With the exception of a one-year appointment at Byrn Mawr in 1892-93, Richards spent his career at Penn. He was a Tyndale Fellow in Physics 1890-1892; Instructor in Physics, 1890-1903; Assistant Professor of Physics, 1903-1909; Professor of Mathematical Physics, 1909-1938; Director of the Randal Morgan Laboratory of Physics; 1931-1938 and Professor Emeritus, 1938-1945.

He was a member of the American Philosophical Society, the Franklin Institute and the American Physical Society, among others. He died at age 78 on May 20, 1945. He was married to Annie Gardiner of Philadelphia. They had two children: Horace Gardiner Richards and Marie Ann Richards.

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

Within the Papers series (1871-1944), the material pertains to Richards' involvement in the University of Pennsylvania as a student and as a professor and alumnus. His activities included membership in the Philomathean Society, the Alumni Society, Sigma Xi, Phi Beta Kappa and a cast member of the play "The Acharnians." The collection also contains a certificate of membership to the Franklin Institute in 1925.

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