STORY #10: Who Was Richard L. “Met” Metcalfe?
The man behind the Country Club Neighborhood.
Before winding streets and elegant homes defined the Country Club Neighborhood, one remarkable figure helped shape its vision: Richard L. “Met” Metcalfe — president of the Metcalfe Company and Country Club District, Inc.
Born in 1861 in Illinois, Metcalfe came from extraordinary roots. His grandfather’s home was where Abraham Lincoln met Mary Todd, and his family moved in circles that shaped American history. After marrying Bessie Buehler in 1885, he arrived in Omaha in 1887 and began his career as a cub reporter at the Omaha Bee.
Metcalfe moved to the Omaha World-Herald and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming editor-in-chief and one of Nebraska’s most influential voices. Closely aligned with William Jennings Bryan, he even stepped aside so Bryan could lead the paper after his 1896 presidential defeat. His Sunday editorials—signed simply “Met”—were read nationwide and later published in books like Of Such Is the Kingdom (1906) and Bishop Sunbeams (1909).
His career blended journalism, politics and public service. Metcalfe served as Civil Governor of the Panama Canal Zone, ran twice for the U.S. Senate, and became Mayor of Omaha in 1930. At the same time, his son Ted served as Nebraska’s lieutenant governor.
In the 1920s, Metcalfe turned his attention to shaping Omaha’s future through real estate development with his sons Ted, Lee and Kenneth. As president of the Metcalfe Company, he helped guide the transformation of former golf course land into what became the Country Club Neighborhood—bringing the same civic vision to homes and streets that he had once brought to editorials and public office.
Can you guess what beloved local park was named for him?
In 1938, Omaha honored him by naming Metcalfe Park at 1702 Country Club Road. His legacy still lives on in the neighborhood he helped imagine.
Sources: Omaha World-Herald March 31, 1954 obituary; They Call Him “Met” Omaha-World-Herald March 21, 1926 p33; Nebraskana: Biographical Sketches of Nebraska Men and Women of Achievement Who Have Been Awarded Life Membership in the Nebraskana Society published in 1932;
Photo Captions:
A portrait of Richard L Metcalfe while he was Omaha's Mayor from 1930-33. Courtesy Omaha Public Library Archives.
"Met's" bio featured in a Metcalfe Co. advertisement published in the Omaha World-Herald on March 21, 1926.
