Richard Cordley

Richard Cordley
Richard Cordley in 1903
Born(1829-09-06)September 6, 1829
DiedJuly 11, 1904(1904-07-11) (aged 74)
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (B.A.)
Andover Theological Seminary (M.A.)
University of Kansas (D.D., hon. caus.)
Political partyRepublican
Military career
Nickname(s)"The Abolition Preacher"
"The Jayhawker Preacher"
AllegianceUnited States
Branch3rd Kansas Militia
Years of service1864-1865
RankPrivate
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War
Bleeding Kansas

Richard Cordley (September 6, 1829 – July 11, 1904) was a Protestant minister and abolitionist associated with the Jayhawkers of Kansas. Known primarily as the pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church in Lawrence, Kansas in the 19th and early 20th century, Cordley was an early settler of Lawrence and a survivor of both the Sacking of Lawrence and the Lawrence Massacre in 1863. Cordley wrote about the history of Lawrence and the state of Kansas later in his lifetime and was also the recipient of the first degree awarded by the University of Kansas.