Artist: James Jay Ingwersen (1930–2025)
John Franklin “Frank” Richards Jr.
RICHARDS, JOHN FRANKLIN JR. (1898–1970), inducted 1971
Born on a farm near Bevier, Missouri, Frank Richards graduated from the University of Missouri in 1919. For eight years, he raised Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs with his father, and then in 1927, joined the staff of the Corn Belt Farm Dailies. He managed Bethel Farms, an Angus operation in New York state, and served as editor and manager of the Kansas City Daily Drover Telegram. From 1946 to 1963, Richards was secretary of the American Angus Association, overseeing its expansion and the relocation of its headquarters to St. Joseph, Missouri. Under his direction, annual registration increased from 74,214 to 345,576, and he initiated a comprehensive herd improvement records program. When he retired, the American Angus Association commissioned Jim Ingwersen to paint a portrait for its headquarters.
Frank Richards learned that he was to be inducted into the Saddle & Sirloin Club, but he passed away the year before. The Angus Association provided the 1963 portrait to the Club. His portrait presentation was the first in Club history to be planned off-site, due to the large number of attendees expected. More than 900 people attended the banquet, held at the Conrad Hilton Hotel during the International. In 1983, Frank Richards was named to the Angus Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame and two years later, became one of the first named to the Honorary Angus Foundation.
Source: Saddle & Sirloin Guidebook 2026, p. 166