Albert Norton Richards

Who was Albert Norton Richards?

Albert Norton Richards, QC 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, the son of Stephen Richards and Phoebe Buell. He studied law with his brother William Buell Richards and was called to the bar in 1848. Richards practised law in Brockville and in Victoria, British Columbia. He was one of the 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 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. On June 27, 1876, he was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor there.