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B. F. Riter, Sr. was a prominent Utah pharmacist, businessman, and civic leader. Born in Salt Lake City, 31 August 1859, he was raised and educated locally. He completed his education in pharmacy at the University of Utah and soon after went into partnership with Dr. O. C. Ormsby, as Ormsby and Riter. At the time (late 1870s), they operated the only drug store between Ogden, Utah and Helena, Montana. In 1891, the partnership was succeeded by the Riter Brothers Drug Company, of which Mr. Riter was the president. The concern operated an extended chain of drug stores throughout Utah and Idaho. In addition to its retail stores the company did a large jobbing business, as wholesale distributor, with merchants throughout the inter-mountain region.
Mr. Riter was president of the Utah Board of Pharmacy and a member of the State Pharmaceutical Examining Board, the Logan City Council (1888-1890), the National Pharmaceutical Association, the Sons of the American Revolution, and the Logan Chamber of Commerce. Long interested in the telephone industry, Riter also became the first manager of the Logan exchange and remained with the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone, Company for many years. During World War I, Riter's civic activities extended to various forms of civilian relief work.
Riter was an avid student of American History, and collected many rare and valuable books pertaining to early explorations and discoveries in the West. He was known throughout the region for his integrity, kindness, and generosity, and became one of the area's most prominent citizens.
Riter married Maria Inez Corlett in 1882. They were survived by four children: Benjamin Franklin, Jr. (whose papers provide the bulk of this collection), William Corlett, Randblph Bradley, and Maria Inez. R. F. Riter, Sr. died at Logan July 21, 1925. (source:
Benjamin Franklin Riter Jr. (who preferred the name "Franklin Riter") was a prominent Salt Lake attorney, businessman, civic leader and Army officer. Born in Logan, Utah, 27 September 1886, he attended Utah secondary schools and later received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Utah State Agricultural College (later Utah State University) in Logan. Following one year of post-graduate work at Cornell University, he entered Columbia University's law school, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1910.
For many years Riter belonged to the firm of Riter, Cowan, Finlinson, and Daines, with offices in Salt Lake City. He was admitted to practice law in a number of state and federal courts, in which he pursued a vigorous law career.
Allied to his professional duties, Mr. Riter became a prominent businessman, holding important posts in many patriotic and political organizations. One of the most prominent civic roles Mr. Riter held was as President of the Utah League for Prohibition Repeal, the instrument by which Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution. Mr. Riter was successful largely because of his appeals to both the "wets" and the "drys" for what he termed "sane liquor laws." His patriotic zeal, developed over the years in his association with many patriotic organizations, also suited him well as Chairman of the Utah organization of "Fighting Funds for Finland," organized in response to the invasion of that country by Germany just prior to America's involvement in World War II.
During World War I Franklin Riter attended Infantry Officer's Training School at Camp McArthur, Texas, but the war ended before he completed his training as an infantry officer. Soon after the passage of the National Defense Pact of 1920, he made application for a commission in the Judge Advocate General's Corps (the legal branch of the Army) and received a reserve commission as a Captain in 1923. Through the years he maintained a keen and continuous interest in national defense and the Army reserve. In the years between the world wars he attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and served in several important capacities in the reserve.
In April 1941 Lieutenant Colonel Riter was called to extended active duty, was soon after promoted to Colonel, and served as chairman of the first Board of Review in the Branch Office of the Judge Advocate General for the European Theater of Operations. This was the Army's high appellate court at Cheltenham, England. Following the invasion of Europe, he was named coordinator of the five boards of review constituting the court with headquarters in Paris. One of the more memorable cases reviewed by Colonel Riter was the desertion conviction of Private Slovik which finally resulted in Slovik's execution in January of 1945 (the only deserter executed since the Civil War).
In 1946 Colonel Riter returned to Washington where he tested many courts-martial judgments of conviction. Among the outstanding cases he prepared was the sensational Kathleen Nash Durrant jewel robbery trial. Colonel Riter received the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster in recognition of his distinguished military services during the war. In 1947 he was promoted to Brigadier General but soon after was released from active duty and returned to private law practice in Salt Lake City.
General Riter continued his professional and civic involvement following the war. In 1957 he was the first Utah lawyer ever elected to the powerful board of governors of the American Bar Association and at the time of his death was serving his fifth term as a delegate from the Utah State Bar to the ABA House of Delegates. He also continued to be recognized for his accomplishments in various patriotic organizations.
During his final years General Riter was in considerable demand as a speaker and writer. When he passed away in 1966 at the age of 79, Justice F. Henri Henriod, Chief Justice of the Utah Supreme Court, eulogized him as a "vigorous proponent of the causes entrusted to him." Many others recognized him as a devoted citizen of his state and nation, generous of his services and dedicated to his principles. The general was buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Salt Lake City with full military honors.
Personal:
Born, 27 September 1886, Logan, Utah, to Franklin and Maria Inez Cortlett Riter
Married, 2 November 1911 to Lesley Day Woodruff
Died, 23 May 1966 at age 79; buried Mt. Olivet cemetery, Salt Lake City
Education:
1907, B.S. Degree, Utah State Agricultural College (later Utah State University) 1907-1908, post-graduate work, Cornell University 1908-1910, post graduate work, Columbia University; LL.B. degree
Legal Career:
1910, admitted to state bars of New York and Oregon; California, 1913; Utah, 1913, Texas, 1913; U. S. District Court, District of Idaho, 1935: U. S. Supreme Court, 1942; member U. S. Treasury Bar and Federal Board of Tax Appeals
1910-13, member of legal staff, Union Pacific Railroad, Portland, Oregon
1913, entered private practice, Salt Lake City. Practiced in many western states and Washington, D. C.; member of law firm of Riter, Cowan, Finlinson, and Daines (Salt Lake City)
Counsel for Tracy Loan and Trust Company, Penn Mutual and Pacific Mutual life insurance companies, and other interests
1957, first lawyer from Utah elected to the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association and at the time of his death was serving fifth term as a delegate from the Utah State Bar to the ABA House of Delegates
Judge Advocate, U. S. Army Reserve (see below)
Military Career:
1918, attended Infantry Officer's School; armistice signed before completion
1923, commissioned Captain, Judge Advocate General's Corps of the U. S. Army, under the National Defense Act of 1920. Served in various positions in the Army Reserve prior to World War II, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
1941 (April), Colonel Riter called to extended active duty in the Army. Served as contract coordinator and as a member of the Board of Review, Judge Advocate Generals Corps, Washington, D. C.
1942 (May), ordered to European Theater of Operations; promoted to Colonel in June
1942-44, served as chairman of the first Board of Review of the Judge Advocate General for the European Theater of Operations at Chelterham, England. Following invasion of Europe served as coordinator of the five boards of review constituting the court, with headquarters in Paris
1946, returned to U. S. as special assistant to the Judge Advocate General; remained on active duty another year
1947, awarded Legion of Merit and promoted to Brigadier General; released from active duty and returned to private practice
Business Activities:
Vice-president and director, Brown, Terry and Woodruff Company
Vice-president and director, Central Realty Company
Director, Tracy Loan and Trust Company
Civic, Political and Fraternal Affiliations:
President, Utah League for Prohibition Repeal, 1933
Chairman of Utan Organization of "Fighting Funds for Finland," prior to World War II
Served on National Council of the Boy Scouts of America and fourteen consecutive terms as treasurer of the Great Salt Lake Council; received Silver Beaver Award
Served on Board of Governors and as chairman of the Advisory Council for the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Utah Advisory Council for Veterans Affairs (appointed 1950)
Sons of the American Revolution, Vice-President General, Rocky Mountain District
Masons, lifetime member; received 33rd Degree, highest honor attainable in Freemasonry
United Services Organization fund drive, Utah chairman during Korean War
American Legion; many leadership and advisory positions, 1919 until death; including Commander, Salt Lake Post No. 2 (1928-1931) and Commander of the Department of Utah (1948-1949); chairman of a special committee on the Uniform Code of Military Justice and the Court of Military Appeals
Many other civic and fraternal associations: Reserve Officers Association (Pres., 1955-1956); Military Order of World Wars (Pres. Salt Lake Chapter 1959-1961); Judge Advocates Association (National Director, 1950); Sojourners; Civic Music Association (Pres . 1932-1933, 1933-1934); alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention (1948, 1952); Civil War Centennial Commission (Utah Chairman, 1958)
The Franklin Riter Collection consists of the records of Benjamin Franklin Riter, Sr. and Franklin Riter. The first box consists of material pertaining to B. F. Riter, Sr. and the Riter Bros. Drug Company. Unfortunately, there are few personal papers. The scrapbook and ledgers outlined in the inventory deal exclusively with the company. The remainder of the collection (seven boxes) consists of material pertaining to Franklin Riter.
The Franklin Riter material has been generally grouped into personal or military papers, although the two often overlap Franklin Riter's personal papers, mostly correspondence and newspaper clippings, reveal the growth of his law career and his civic and political involvement in Utah prior to World War II. At an early age he became passionately devoted to America and its ideals; and became intimately involved in numerous conservative and patriotic groups; for example, he held important positions in the Masonic Order, Sons of the American Revolution, and the American Legion.
Of special note is the material concerning his role as President of the Utah League for Prohibition Repeal (Box 2, 7-9). Although advocating temperance, he led Utah's 1933 Constitutional Convention in its repeal of the 18th Amendment. He also found time to participate in many other civic functions and to become one of Salt Lake's leading businessmen during the years prior to the war.
Riter's correspondence following the war reveals his continued involvement and achievement in the patriotic organizations he embraced before the war. But as a result of his wartime experiences Riter's involvement intensified. He was a sought-after speaker and spoke out against Communism in many speeches and published articles. Many of these were edited and published by his wife in 1970 and are included in the general holdings of the library.
General Riter's military papers are outlined in the inventory and need little amplification. They include various transcripts, briefs, and opinions on notable cases reviewed while on active duty. Some also deal with his observations of military justice procedures and his continued involvement in them (especially in connection with the American Legion) following the war.
Following Riter's death, Mrs. Franklin Riter edited and had published excerpts of her husband's military papers written or received prior to and during World War II. This journal is the single most valuable item in the collection (Box 2, Folder 10). It is significant in two respects: It gives an eye-witness account of the war in Europe; and, it reveals the personality of its writer in great detail.
Riter's papers document his involvement in the buildup of America's war machine, especially the Army's legal system. Called to active duty in April, 1941, Riter was shipped overseas to establish a branch office of the Judge Advocate General (as the theater's supreme appellate court). He provides interesting stories of the convoy over and of taking up residence in England. His close and candid observations of the English people and their country, especially during the trials of the German bomber raids and buzz-bomb terror, are most vivid.
Riter, concentrating on the intricacies of his profession, wrote at great length on the legal problems encountered by the build-up of Allied in Britain. He gives interesting examples of black market activities, political intrigue, regressive morality (drunkenness, theft, corruption, prostitution, rape, murder), and a variety of military offenses. He then describes how the United States and Britain cooperated in dealing with these problems under the Visiting Forces Act.
From England, Riter followed the conquering armies onto the mainland of Europe and eventually moved the JAG office to Paris after its liberation. There he became coordinator of the five boards of review constituting the court. Riter again dwells at length on the problems of military justice, made even more difficult when administered by fast-moving armies preoccupied with the war and hardened by the realities and necessities of combat.
Throughout the journal, Riter intersperses a general military history of the war with his personal observations and conclusions. His narrative tells many stories, "incredible stories - all true," (p. 129) of the people he encountered and the dramatic effects of war upon their lives.
Aside from the war, Riter paints a colorful picture of social life in Paris--the theater, orchestras, parties, and fine food. However, Riter does not neglect the seamy side of France either. The same moral problems observed by Riter in England were in France, where in addition he describes the abject poverty and disruption of the lives of many of the people. For example, he notes how gangs of orphaned children roamed the streets like animals, begging and stealing and engaging in acts of violence against unwary travelers at night.
Following the war, Riter recounts attempts to reestablish order in France and the creation of the occupation forces. Riter and others toured Europe just before returning home and he vividly portrays a ravaged land and people, the horrors-observed at the German death camp at Dachau, and the Nuremberg trials (several sessions of which he attended). There he recorded his reactions to the testimony of Goehring and others of the German defendants.
Returning to the United States in 1946 Riter remained on active duty for another year during which time he became involved in many habeas corpus proceedings and the review of several sensational criminal cases which are documented in the collection. Following his retirement and return to private practice in 1947, Riter continued his interest in the military justice system and tells of his role in assisting in rewriting the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Aside from a narrative history of the war, the journal candidly reveals the personality of its author. Colonel Riter was a typical army officer of the old school, conservative, patriotic, and ethnocentric. These traits are exhibited throughout the journal in his observations and reactions to those people and institutions he encounters. They are especially evident in his attitudes towards offenders of military law and in his philosophy of Army jurisprudence.
Benjamin Franklin Riter Papers, 1882-1966, Utah State Historical Society.
Gift of Mrs. Benjamin Franklin
The Benjamin Franklin Riter Papers are the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.
Artifacts housed in Museum collection.
Photographs have been removed to