Carl W. Riddick

Carlos Wood Riddick (February 25, 1872 – July 9, 1960) was an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Second District of Montana.

Riddick was born in Wells, Faribault County, Minnesota and was educated in the public schools in Michigan, He attended Albion College in Albion, Michigan and Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.

From 1899 to 1910, Riddick was editor of the Winamac Republican newspaper in Indiana. Following that he was a rancher and County Assessor of Fergus Co., Montana.

In 1918, Montana's at-large congressional district, which elected two separate members, was abolished, and the 1st and 2nd districts were created in its place. One of the at-large representatives, John M. Evans, opted to run for re-election in the 1st district, while the other, Jeannette Rankin, instead opted to run for the Senate. Riddick ran in the newly created 2nd district, and was narrowly elected over Harry B. Mitchell, the Democratic nominee. He was re-elected in a landslide over M. McCusker in 1920. Rather than seek re-election to a third term, he opted to run for the United States Senate in 1922 to replace retiring Senator Henry L. Myers. Riddick won the Republican primary over State Attorney General Wellington D. Rankin, but in the general election, he lost to Burton K. Wheeler, the Democratic nominee, by a wide margin.

After leaving politics, Riddick served as president of the National Republic, a magazine published in Washington, D.C. He was the operator of a home development at Sylvan Shores in South River, Maryland. In later years he lived in Maryland and Florida. His son, Merrill K. Riddick, ran for several offices in Montana as well as President.

Riddick died on July 9, 1960 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is interred at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Annapolis, Maryland.