| Birthname: | John Richard Saunders |
| Birth Date: | December 9, 1869 |
| Birth Place: | King and Queen County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Saluda, Virginia, U.S. |
| Order: | 23rd |
| Office: | Attorney General of Virginia |
| Term Start: | February 1, 1918 |
| Term End: | March 17, 1934 |
| Governor: | Westmoreland Davis Elbert Lee Trinkle Harry F. Byrd John Garland Pollard George C. Peery |
| Predecessor: | Josiah D. Hank Jr. |
| Successor: | Abram P. Staples |
| State Senate2: | Virginia |
| District2: | 39th |
| Term Start2: | January 8, 1908 |
| Term End2: | January 9, 1918 |
| Preceded2: | J. Boyd Sears |
| Succeeded2: | J. Douglass Mitchell |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Spouse: | Blanche Hoskins |
John Richard Saunders (December 9, 1869 – March 17, 1934) was an American lawyer and politician who served as Attorney General of Virginia from 1918 until his death in 1934. Prior to this, he was a member of the Senate of Virginia.[1] [2] He was a supporter of women's suffrage while in the Senate.[3] He was married to Blanche Hoskins Saunders who was a member of the Equal Suffrage League of Saluda.
| Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attorney General of Virginia | ||||||
| Nov 6, 1917 | General | John R. Saunders | Democratic | - | - | |
| Harry Wolcott | Republican | - | - | |||
| Josiah D. Hank, Jr. did not seek reelection; seat stayed Democratic | ||||||
| Nov 8, 1921 | General | John R. Saunders (inc.) | Democratic | - | - | |
| Republican | - | - | ||||
| Nov 5, 1929[4] | General | John R. Saunders (inc.) | Democratic | 183,793 | 63.73 | |
| Charles C. Berkeley | Republican | 104,606 | 36.27 | |||
| Nov 7, 1933[5] | General | John R. Saunders (inc.) | Democratic | 125,811 | 75.13 | |
| Clarence R. Ahalt | Republican | 37,115 | 22.16 | |||
| Herman R. Ansell | Socialist | 4,526 | 2.70 | |||