Richard Cogdell Badger was born in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina on August 8, 1839. The son of a prominent lawyer, he graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1856 and became a lawyer himself. A Confederate major during the Civil War, Badger later defended Governor William Woods Holden during his impeachment trial. Badger died in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina on April 22, 1882.