Albert Norton Richards

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Albert Norton Richards  Source: Library and Archives Canada
Albert Norton Richards
Source: Library and Archives Canada

Albert Norton Richards (December 8, 1821March 6, 1897) was a Canadian lawyer and political figure. He represented Leeds South in the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal member from 1872 to 1874. He served as the second Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia from 1876 to 1881.

He was born in Brockville in Upper Canada in 1821. He studied law with his brother William Buell and was called to the bar in 1848. He was one the original founders of what is now the Vancouver-based law firm of Richards Buell Sutton.

In 1863, he was named Queen's Counsel. He was elected to the 8th Parliament of the Province of Canada in 1863, but was defeated in 1864 when he accepted the post of Solicitor General for Canada West and so was required to run again for the same seat. In 1867, he was narrowly defeated by John Willoughby Crawford in Leeds South and he was elected in 1872. In 1869, he was named Attorney General in the provisional government of the Northwest. In 1874, he moved to British Columbia. On June 27, 1876, he was sworn in as lieutenant governor there. After his term as lieutenant governor, he returned to Ontario for three years, then went back to Victoria and practiced law there. He died in Victoria in 1897. Richards street in Vancouver is named after him.

[edit] External links

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by
John Crawford
Member of Parliament from Leeds South
1872-1874
Succeeded by
David Ford Jones
Government offices
Preceded by
Joseph William Trutch
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia
1876-1881
Succeeded by
Clement Francis Cornwall