Father Gabriel Jacques Richard, S. S., (1767-1832) — pastor, educator and public servant — arrived in Detroit in 1798. In 1802 he became the pastor of Ste. Anne Church. He brought a printing press to the area and in 1809 printed Michigan's first newspaper, The Michigan Essay or Impartial Observer. In 1817 Richard and the Reverend John Monteith, a Presbyterian, became the first professors of the University of Michigania, the territory's pioneer educational establishment. Richard also established schools for girls and Indian children. From 1823 to 1825 Richard was Michigan Territory's delegate to the United States Congress. As a delegate, he was instrumental in gaining support for the Territorial Road, which linked Detroit and Chicago, opening Michigan to settlement. He died of cholera on September 13, 1832.
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