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RICHARD CANN MCMULLEN, Delaware's 51st governor, was born in Glasgow, Delaware, on January 2, 1868. He was educated in Glasgow's public school system and attended Goldey College in Wilmington. McMullen worked in a leather manufacturing plant and eventually became a partner, vice president, and director of the Allied Kid Company. He entered politics as a member of the Wilmington city council, and was a member of the Delaware Public Utility Commission. McMullen won the 1936 Democratic gubernatorial nomination and was elected Governor of Delaware. He was sworn into office on January 19, 1937. During his tenure, the state's "blue laws" were revised, which inserted a smaller number of limitations on Sunday activities. Governor McMullen endorsed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which authorized a minimum wage of 40 cents and maximum 40-hour workweek. On January 21, 1941, McMullen left the governor's office, retiring from public service, but staying active in his various business dealings. Governor Richard C. McMullen died on February 18, 1944, and he is buried at the Riverview Cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 1, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

Delaware's Governors

The Political Graveyard