William Buell Richards

The Honourable Sir William Buell Richards PC
The Honourable Sir William Buell Richards, portrait by his niece Frances Richards

1st Chief Justice of Canada
In office September 30, 1875 – January 10, 1879
Nominated by	Alexander Mackenzie
Succeeded by	William Johnstone Ritchie
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Leeds
In office 1848–1854
Preceded by	Ogle Robert Gowan
Succeeded by	The electoral district was abolished.
Personal details
Born	(1815-05-02)May 2, 1815 Brockville, Upper Canada
Died	January 26, 1889(1889-01-26) (aged 73) Ottawa, Ontario
Political party	Reformer
Relations	William Buell, uncle Stephen Richards, brother Albert Norton Richards, brother
Alma mater	St. Lawrence Academy

Sir William Buell Richards, PC (May 2, 1815 – January 26, 1889) was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Richards was born in Brockville, Upper Canada to Stephen Richards and Phoebe Buell. He earned law degree at the St. Lawrence Academy in Potsdam, New York and then articled with his uncle Andrew Norton Buell in Brockville. He was called to the bar in 1837 and continued to practice in Brockville with George Malloch until 1853 and then with his uncle again.

In 1848 Richards was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and by 1848 he became the Attorney General for the province. Leaving politics in June 1853, he was appointed to the Court of Common Pleas of Canada West and by 1863 he became Chief Justice.

In November 1868 Richards was appointed to Chief Justice of the province which was the highest court in Ontario at that time, the Supreme Court not yet having been created.. It was during this time that he heard the appeal of Patrick James Whelan for the murder of Thomas D'Arcy McGee.

With the creation of the Supreme Court of Canada in 1875 Richards was appointed directly to the position of Chief Justice which he stayed at until his retirement on January 10, 1879.

His brother Albert Norton Richards served in the Canadian House of Commons and was Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia.

External links

Supreme Court of Canada biography
"William Buell Richards". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.

Preceded by Robert Baldwin	Attorney General of Canada West 1848–1854	Succeeded by John Alexander Macdonald

Chief Justices of Canada

Richards Ritchie Strong H. E. Taschereau Fitzpatrick Davies Anglin Duff Rinfret Kerwin R. Taschereau Cartwright Fauteux Laskin Dickson Lamer McLachlin

The Richards court (1875–79)

1875–78	W. Ritchie S. Strong J. Taschereau T. Fournier W. Henry

1878–79	W. Ritchie S. Strong T. Fournier W. Henry H. Taschereau

Attorney General of Ontario

Attorneys-General of Upper Canada	White Gray Scott Firth Robinson (acting) G.D. Boulton Robinson H.G. Boulton Jameson Hagerman Draper

Attorneys-General of the Province of Canada (Canada West)	Draper Baldwin Richards J.A. Macdonald J.S. Macdonald

Attorneys-General of Ontario	J.S. Macdonald Crooks Mowat Hardy Latchford Whitney Foy Lucas Raney Nickle Price Roebuck Conant Cross Blackwell Porter Roberts Cass Wishart Lawrence Bales Welch Clement McMurtry Scott Hampton Boyd Harnick Flaherty Young Sterling Bryant Bentley Gerretsen Meilleur Naqvi

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William Buell Richards

See also

External links