Hon. Dillard Ricketts has been a citizen of Indianapolis since 1867, although he has been well known to our prominent citizens for many years.  He is a native of Kentucky, born in Clarke county, but lived some time in Henry county previous to his coming to Madison, his first residence in Indiana.
     He was for several years a successful merchant of Edinburg, and while residing there represented Johnson county in the State Senate.  He was for several years extensively engaged in the purchase and packing of pork at Jeffersonville, and did a larger business in that way than any other person in the State at that time.
     Several years since he was selected president of the Jeffersonville & Indianapolis Railroad Company, and at a time its stock was scarcely worth ten cents on the dollar.  During his presidency it gradually advanced in value until it is now at a large premium, although the company had purchased the Madison & Indianapolis railroad and built lateral branches of their own road-one from Columbus to Cambridge City, another from Jeffersonville to New Albany.
     Mr. Ricketts and Samuel H. Patterson, of Jeffersonville, as the representatives of the railroad, were active in procuring the building of the railroad bridge across the Ohio river at the southern terminus of their road, and to them Indiana and the country is mostly indebted for uniting New York with New Orleans by one continuous and unbroken chain of railroad communication through our State.
     Mr. Ricketts has ever been an active and energetic man, contributing largely to the great prosperity of the State.  He possesses a frank and manly bearing and a dignified kindness calculated to win upon those that he is thrown in contact with.
     His estimable lady is the second daughter of the Hon. David W. Daily of Clarke county, who for many years represented that count in the State Senate.  We remember him as one of the firm friends of the administration of General Jackson during his Presidency.  Mrs. Ricketts has two brothers well-known to our citizens:  The first, Harry Daily, son-in-law of the late Judge Morrison.  The second brother, Thomas Daily, married a Miss Walsh of Edinburg, Indiana.