James William Richards

RICHARDS, JAMES WILLIAM, merchant and shipowner; b. 31 May 1850 in Swansea, Wales, son of Captain William Richards and Susan Yeo; m. 4 October 1909 Ella E. Myers, and there were no children; Episcopalian; d. 9 March 1915 in Ottawa. Richards, a Conservative in his early career, was first elected to the House of Assembly in a by-election held September 1873 for 2nd Prince. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1876, 1879,1882, and 1886, and was elected as a Liberal in 1890. As a Liberal he was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1893 and was re-elected in the general elections of 1897, 1900, and 1904. Richards served on Executive Council as a Minister without Portfolio from 22 April 1891 to November 1904. He resigned his seat to become a candidate for Prince in the 1904 federal election, but was defeated. In the federal elections of 1908 and 1911, Richards was elected to the House of Commons for Prince. During his career as a provincial politician, Richards was a strong supporter of the Land Purchase Act and the School Act. Richards was educated at Prince of Wales College and St. Dunstan's University in Charlottetown. He then attended commercial school in Saint John. After completing his studies, Richards returned to the Island where he began his business career in Bideford. There he operated mercantile and industrial businesses with his father. His younger brother John Richards also served in the Legislature. James Richards died 9 March 1915 in Ottawa, while serving as a Member in the House of Commons, and was buried in Bideford.