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{{Short description|American abolitionist}}
'''John Ritchie''' (July 17, 1817 – August 31, 1887) was an American [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] in Kansas who served in the [[Union Army]] during the [[American Civil War]].
==Early life==
[[File:John Ritchie House IMG 5310.JPG|300px|thumb|right|The John Ritchie House in Topeka, Kansas]]
Ritchie moved from [[Franklin, Indiana]] to [[Topeka]], [[Kansas Territory]], in early spring of 1855 in search of cheap land and to help Kansas enter the country as a free state. His wife, Mary Jane Shelledy Ritchie, was the fifth woman to settle in Topeka and their young son, Hale was the third child. As early settlers they lived in a dugout through the first winter and around 1856 had constructed and moved
Ritchie was part of the [[Bleeding Kansas]] episode in history and was engaged in various acts opposing the expansion of slavery in Kansas Territory. Ritchie was a close associate and supporter of the notorious politician [[James H. Lane (politician)|James H. Lane]]. Ritchie was associated with the "Topeka Boys" and operated a "station" on the [[Underground Railroad]]. In January 1859, Ritchie helped [[John Brown (abolitionist)|John Brown]] and eleven slaves elude federal troops and escape to [[Nebraska]].
▲As early settlers they lived in a dugout through the first winter and around 1856 had constructed and moved in to a limestone house that still stands in Topeka today, located at 1116 SE Madison. He was selected to serve as a delegate in two of the four Kansas constitutional conventions: [[Leavenworth Constitution|Leavenworth]] (1858) and [[Wyandotte Constitution|Wyandotte]] (1859). BUTT BUTTTSSSSS BUTTS BUTTS BUTTS BUTTS LOL U JUST GOT TROLLED WITHOUT A FACE LOL HAHAHAHAHAHA BUTS BUTS JOHN RITCHIE IS DUMMMMMMM LOL SO IS KENDIS HAHAHA JK JK JK NOT LOLOL NO I WAS JUST KIDDING
==Civil War==
After the Civil War a number of newly freed African Americans settled in Topeka both before and during the [[Exodusters|exodus movement]] and built homes on land that Ritchie sold or gave them. Because of the sizable African-American population, the Topeka School District decided to establish a school for black children in the neighborhood. "Ritchie's Addition" became the site of Monroe School, which became the Kansas school at the center of the fight against segregated public schools in [[Brown v. Board of Education]].
==Ritchie Cemetery==
Ritchie also donated property as a free cemetery where those too poor to purchase lots at the Topeka Cemetery could bury their dead loved ones. It is believed that there are around 100 graves within the cemetery, most unmarked, which is located at 27th and Boswell Ave. in Topeka. His wife, Mary Jane, and their young daughter were both originally buried there, however upon John Ritchie's death at age 70, his son Hale had his father buried in the Topeka Cemetery and his mother and sister's remains moved there as well.▼
[[File:Ritchie Cemetery IMG 5272.JPG|thumb|Ritchie Cemetery]]
[[File:Ritchie Cemetery IMG 5281.JPG|thumb|Grave in the Ritchie Cemetery]]
▲Ritchie also donated property as a free cemetery where those too poor to purchase lots at the Topeka Cemetery could bury their dead loved ones. It is believed that there are around 100 graves within the cemetery, most unmarked, which is located at 27th and Boswell Ave. in Topeka. His wife, Mary Jane, and their young daughter were both originally buried there, however upon John Ritchie's death at age 70, his son Hale had his father buried in the Topeka Cemetery and his mother and sister's remains moved there as well.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cemphoto/ks/shawnee/topeka/oldritchie/ritchie.html |title=John Ritchie Cemetery |accessdate=2013-02-10}}</ref>
==Washburn University==
Ritchie purchased {{convert|160|acre|km2}} of land in [[Topeka]] which he donated to establish a larger campus for Lincoln College, which became
==Sources==
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*''John Ritchie: Portrait of an Uncommon Man''. Shawnee County Historical Society Bulletin.
*Mrs. H.C. Root, "Paper on the life of John Ritchie", April 27, 1903.
https://web.archive.org/web/20121014034455/http://skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/schs/ritchie/education/resources/ritchiebookparts/JR-UndergroundRailroad.pdf
==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081204102527/http://www.shawneecountyhistory.org/ritchie Ritchie House historical site]
*[http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/john-ritchie/17087 Kansapedia article on John Ritchie]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, John (abolitionist}}
[[Category:1817 births]]
[[Category:1887 deaths]]
[[Category:
[[Category:
[[Category:People from Topeka, Kansas]]
[[Category:People of Kansas in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Underground Railroad people]]
[[Category:Union Army colonels]]
[[Category:19th-century American philanthropists]]
[[Category:Washburn University people]]
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