Richard Richards (Australian politician)

Sir Richard Watkins Richards
46th Lord Mayor of Sydney
In office 1 January 1914 – 31 December 1915
Preceded by	Arthur Cocks
Succeeded by	Richard Meagher
In office 11 March 1919 – 12 March 1920
Preceded by	John English
Succeeded by	William Patrick Fitzgerald
Alderman of the Sydney City Council
In office 1 December 1902 – 25 November 1905
In office 2 December 1912 – 30 November 1915
Constituency	Cook Ward
In office 23 May 1917 – 12 March 1920
Constituency	Lang Ward
Personal details
Born	(1863-07-19)19 July 1863 Pembroke, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Died	12 March 1920(1920-03-12) (aged 56) Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Spouse(s)	Minnie Adeline Booth (m. 1890–1920; his death)

Sir Richard Watkins Richards (19 July 1863 – 12 March 1920), commonly referred to as R. W. Richards, was Lord Mayor of Sydney in 1914–1915 and 1919–1920.[1]

Early life and career

Richards was born in Wales in 1863 and came to New South Wales as a child. He was appointed City Surveyor in 1887 and retained this position until 1901.[2][3][4][5][6] In 1919 he was appointed as a Director on the board of Sydney Hospital.[7]

He was appointed to Dunedin City Council as Town Clerk and City Engineer in 1905 and was responsible for designing the first underground conveniences in this city, after designing the first one in Sydney 24 May 1901.[8] His voluminous report into the options around underground facilities brought Dunedin into a new age of modernity around publicly supplied facilities.[9] His plans can be found in the Dunedin City Council Archives.[10] He resigned from Dunedin City Council in 1911 and returned to Sydney where he went into private practice.

Political career

He was knighted in the 1920 New Year Honours but died three months later after a long illness.[11][12]

Richards was buried on 13 March 1920 at South Head Cemetery, Vaucluse, New South Wales.[13]

Footnotes

1. "Richard Watkins Richards". Sydney's Aldermen. City of Sydney. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
2. "Sir Richard Richards". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 25, 581. New South Wales, Australia. 1 January 1920. p. 4. Retrieved 16 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
3. "PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT". The World's News. No. 943. New South Wales, Australia. 10 January 1920. p. 9. Retrieved 16 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "Appointment of Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney for the Year 1920". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 12. New South Wales, Australia. 16 January 1920. p. 287. Retrieved 16 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
5. "NEW LORD MAYOR". The Daily Telegraph. No. 12429. New South Wales, Australia. 12 March 1919. p. 9. Retrieved 16 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
6. "Lord Mayor Alderman Richards Elected". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 25, 329. New South Wales, Australia. 12 March 1919. p. 10. Retrieved 16 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Government Gazette Appointments and Employment". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. No. 210. New South Wales, Australia. 22 August 1919. p. 4637. Retrieved 16 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
8. Dunedin City Council, "Dunedin City Council Annual Report 1905-6"
9. Public Health Matters, Evening Star, Issue 12717, 18 July 1907
10. "Manor Place Comfort Station 1919". December 1919.
11. "NEW YEAR HONOURS". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 25, 581. New South Wales, Australia. 1 January 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 16 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
12. "LORD MAYOR'S DEATH". The Daily Telegraph. No. 12, 742. New South Wales, Australia. 13 March 1920. p. 11. Retrieved 16 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
13. "LATE LORD MAYOR". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 25, 644. New South Wales, Australia. 15 March 1920. p. 6. Retrieved 16 March 2018 – via National Library of Australia.

Civic offices
Preceded by Arthur Cocks	Lord Mayor of Sydney 1914–1915	Succeeded by Richard Meagher
Preceded by John English	Lord Mayor of Sydney 1919–1920	Succeeded by William Patrick Fitzgerald