Richard Cutts

Richard Cutts was born on June 28, 1771, on Cutts Island, near the town of Pepperellborough in Massachusetts Bay's Province of Maine, present-day Saco, Maine. He was the fifth of eight children born to Thomas Cutts and Elizabeth Scammon Cutts. He attended rural schools in Maine and went on to study at Phillips Academy in Andover. In 1790, he graduated from Harvard University.

After completing his education, Cutts traveled extensively in Europe. His father was involved in shipbuilding and commerce, trading lumber and other cargoes at ports in various Caribbean islands. Cutts studied law but chose not to pursue a legal career, instead becoming a merchant and trader.

He entered politics as a member of the Democratic-Republican Party. Cutts served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives during 1799 and 1800. In 1800, he was elected to the Seventh United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1801, to March 3, 1813. He was re-elected five times but was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1812 to the Thirteenth Congress.

During the War of 1812, he was appointed as the federal superintendent general of military supplies, serving from 1813 to 1817. In 1817, he was appointed as the first Second Comptroller of the United States Treasury, a position he held until March 21, 1829, when Isaac Hill succeeded him.

After retiring from public service, Cutts resided in Washington, D.C. He died in Washington on April 7, 1845, and was initially buried at St. John's Graveyard. In 1857, his remains were reinterred at Oak Hill Cemetery.

In 1804, Cutts married Anna Payne. Anna was the sister of Dolley Madison, wife of Secretary of State and later President James Madison. They had seven children—five sons and two daughters. Their children included James Madison (1805–1863), Thomas (1806–1838), Walter Coles (born 1808, died after 1833), Richard (1810–1815), Dorthea (Dolley) Payne Madison (1811–1838), Mary Estelle Elizabeth (1814–1856), and Richard Dominicus (1817–1883).

His daughter Mary was known for her close relationship with Dolley Madison and authored two memoirs about her. His grandson James M. Cutts served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor. His granddaughter, Adèle Cutts Douglas, was the second wife of Senator Stephen A. Douglas.