Albert Cabell Ritchie (August 29, 1876 – February 24, 1936) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he was the 49th governor of Maryland from 1920 to 1935. Ritchie was a conservative who campaigned for, but did not win, the presidential nomination in both 1924 and 1932. As of 2020, Ritchie is the state's longest-serving governor, with almost 15 years of service (14 years, 11 months, and 27 days) and a record four terms. Ritchie has the eighth-longest gubernatorial tenure in post-Constitutional U.S. history at days. Early life and family Albert Ritchie was born on August 29, 1876, in Richmond, Virginia, to relatively distinguished parents. His middle name, Cabell, was from his mother's family. His father, Albert, had served as a member of the Maryland Constitutional Convention in 1867, as a professor of law at the University of Maryland, as city solicitor of Baltimore, Maryland, and as a judge for the Supreme Bench of Baltimore. His mother, Elizabeth Caskie Cabell, was a granddaughter of William H. Cabell, a governor of Virginia, and great niece of Joseph Cabell, a close associate of Thomas Jefferson. Ritchie moved to Baltimore with his family shortly after his birth and received his early education from private schools including the Carey School for Boys, which later became known as the Boys' Latin School. He received a bachelor's degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1896, and his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1898. He entered into practice with the firm of Steele, Semmes, Carey and Bond in 1900, and in 1903 was appointed assistant city solicitor of Baltimore. The same year, he formed his own law practice with Stuart S. Janney. Ritchie continued to serve as solicitor until 1910, and continued to practice law with Janney until 1919. In 1907, Ritchie was appointed as a professor of law at the University of Maryland School of Law. In 1907, Ritchie married Elizabeth Catherine Baker of Catonsville, Maryland. However, in June 1916, Baker filed for divorce under the charge of abandonment, since Ritchie had left her to live with his mother in 1910. He did not challenge her claim, and the divorce was finalized soon thereafter. Ritchie never remarried, nor did he have any children. Early political career Public Service Commission On July 1, 1910, Ritchie was appointed as people's counsel to the Public Service Commission of Baltimore. He garnered much attention