Albert Norton Richards, (December 8, 1821 – March 6, 1897) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

lawyer and political figure. He represented Leeds South in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

member from 1872 to 1874. He served as the

second The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of U ...

Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia The lieutenant governor of British Columbia () is the representative of the monarch in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The office of lieutenant governor is an office of the Crown and serves as a representative of the monarchy in the p ...

from 1876 to 1881. He was born in

Brockville Brockville is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically Independent city, independent of the county. It is included with Leeds and ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

in 1821, the son of Stephen Richards and Phoebe Buell. He studied law with his brother

William Buell Richards Sir William Buell Richards (May 2, 1815 – January 26, 1889) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and judge, and served as the first Chief Justice of Canada. Under Richards Court, Richards' leadership, the Supreme Court was marked by controve ...

and was called to the bar in 1848.''History of Leeds and Grenville'', TWH Leavitt (1879)
Richards practised law in Brockville and in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

. He was one of the founders of what is now the Vancouver-based law firm o
Richards Buell Sutton
In 1863, he was appointed

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

. He was elected to the

8th Parliament of the Province of Canada The 8th Parliament of the Province of Canada was summoned in August 1863, following the general election for the Legislative Assembly in August 1863. The Parliament was abolished when the ''British North America Act, 1867'' (now the ''Constitution ...

in 1863, but was defeated in 1864 when he accepted the post of

Solicitor General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...

for

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

and so was required to run again for the same seat. In 1867, he was narrowly defeated by

John Willoughby Crawford John Willoughby Crawford (26 August 1817 – 13 May 1875) was a Canadian politician who served as the List of lieutenant governors of Ontario#Lieutenant Governors of Ontario, 1867-present, third Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1873 to 1875 ...

in Leeds South but was elected in 1872. In 1869, he was named Attorney General in the provisional government of the Northwest but was turned back by the rebels at Pembina. In 1874, he moved to

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. On June 27, 1876, he was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor there. After his term in this office, he returned to

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

for three years, then went back to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

where he practised law, dying in Victoria in 1897. Richards served as Treasurer (chief elected officer) of the Law Society of British Columbia from 1889 to 1892 and from 1894 to 1897. Richards was married twice: to Frances Chaffey in 1849 and to Ellen Chaffey Chislett in 1854. The painter Frances Richards (1852–1934) was his daughter from his first marriage. Richards Street in Vancouver is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Albert Norton 1821 births 1897 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Lieutenant governors of British Columbia People from Brockville Lawyers in British Columbia Canadian King's Counsel 19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada