Richard Byrd Burleson, son of Jonathon and Elizabeth Byrd Burleson, was the brother of Baylor University President Rufus Columbus Burleson. Richard was born on 1822 January 1 near Decatur, Alabama. He had hopes of going to either Harvard or West Point, but his father refused to consent. Richard instead enrolled at the University of Nashville in 1840, where he graduated in 1842.

Richard, like his brother Rufus, was ordained as a Baptist minister. He was licensed to preach by the First Baptist Church at Nashville, Tennessee, under the tutelage of Dr. R.B.C. Howell. He served three years in Athens, Alabama, and four years in Tuscumben, Alabama. Richard married his first wife, Sarah Leigh of Alabama, in 1847, but she died in 1854. Richard married Mary Halbert of Mississippi in 1857.

Rufus Burleson had already moved to Texas as a missionary in 1847 and constantly urged Richard to join him. Rufus was elected the president of Baylor University at Independence in 1851. Richard, upon the death of his wife Sarah, sought to make a new beginning by joining his brother in Texas. In 1855, Richard accepted an offer to preach at the First Baptist Church and serve as president of the Austin Female Academy in Austin, Texas. To do so, Richard left his three children, Leigh, Rufus, and Segur, with his sister-in-law.

Richard joined his brother Rufus at Baylor University in 1857 when Baylor's board of trustees offered Richard the Chair of Natural Science. For various reasons, the Burleson brothers and three other faculty members moved to Waco to work with Waco University. Richard Burleson was appointed the Vice President of this Baptist-affiliated university.

In 1874, Richard was chosen by Governor Richard Coke as a member of the first Geological Survey of Texas. His diary of the expedition can be found in the collection. The group assessed the mineral wealth of Texas, particularly central Texas. Richard was able to identify oil fields near Tyler and salt deposits near Grand Saline.

Richard returned to Waco University soon thereafter to serve as a teacher in the science department. He remained there until his death on 1879 December 21.

(Bio courtesy of Texas Collection at Baylor University, Waco, TX)