Born on Staten Island, New York, Ridgway attended public schools and learned the trade of carpentry.
Ridgway served as a member of the Ohio State House of Representatives from 1828 to 1832.
Ridgway also served on the Ohio State Board of Equalization and as a director of the Clinton Bank for twenty years.
He died on February 1, 1861 in Columbus, Ohio and was interred in Green Lawn Cemetery.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress