William Richardson

U.S. Representative
Born
January 16, 1811
Died
December 27, 1875
Age at death
64
Home state
Illinois
Party
Democratic
On the ballot
1848–1860
5-0
RecordWin–Loss
Total Popular Votes
Richardson54,461
Opponents38,806
5
Elections run

Between 1848 and 1860, William Richardson ran in 5 U.S. House elections, winning all 5. Richardson's biggest single-election total was 16,946 votes, in the 1860 U.S. House election in Illinois's District 5. Richardson's closest win came in the 1852 U.S. House election in Illinois's District 5, decided by 621 votes.

Browse every U.S. House race in Illinois's District 5 or all 1860 U.S. House races.

How many votes has William Richardson received?

William Richardson has received 54,461 popular votes across 5 U.S. elections, with a career record of 5–0.

Election history

William Richardson’s election history
YearOfficeResultVotesOpponent(s)
1860U.S. HouseIllinoisWon16,94653.54%William Prentiss
1854U.S. HouseIllinoisWon8,93552.38%Martin Williams
1852U.S. HouseIllinoisWon9,01851.64%Orville H Browning (head-to-head)
1850U.S. HouseIllinoisWon8,09952.95%Orville H Browning (head-to-head)
1848U.S. HouseIllinoisWon11,46395.93%James Wilson
Identity & sources. Identity verified against the Congressional Bioguide (R000228) and Wikidata (Q881016). Election results come from official certified totals and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab; see methodology.
Cite this profile. PolitiFinder, “William Richardson: election history & vote totals.” https://politifinder.com/p/william-richardson-illinois. Accessed [date].

Compiled by PolitiFinder. Election results from official certified sources and the MIT Election Lab. See Data & sources and methodology. Data last verified July 28, 2026.