DeForest Richards exhibited a robust educational foundation, graduating with honors from Kimball Union Academy and attending Phillips Andover Academy. He relocated multiple times throughout his career, beginning in Alabama during post-Civil War Reconstruction, where he held various roles including sheriff and opened a tannery and merchandising business. Richards later moved to Nebraska and Wyoming, where he engaged in merchandising, banking, and public service, serving as county treasurer, mayor, and state senator. He was elected Governor of Wyoming twice, advocating for reduced federal control of state lands and state-run social institutions. His leadership roles included commanding the Wyoming National Guard and attending the Wyoming statehood Constitutional Convention.

DeForest Richards’s political identity is marked by a distinctive blend of localism and state empowerment, particularly in land management and social infrastructure. Advocating for reduced federal control over Wyoming lands, Richards favored state ownership or free use over federal leasing, revealing a deeply rooted localism. Simultaneously, his support for state-run social institutions suggests an ideological commitment to state intervention in welfare and public services. This juxtaposition of local control with state-led welfare initiatives presents an intriguing tension in his policy stances.