William Buell Richards

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William Buell Richards

Sir William Buell Richards , PC , QC (born May 2, 1815 in Brockville , Upper Canada , † January 26, 1889 in Ottawa ) was a Canadian judge and politician . He was a member of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1875 to 1879 and was also its Chairman ( Chief Justice ) during this time .

biography

Richards studied law at the St. Lawrence Academy (now the State University of New York ) in Potsdam (New York) and worked in Brockville as an intern in the office of his uncle Andrew Norton Buell. In 1837 he was admitted to the bar and six years later became a partner of his uncle. He belonged to numerous local associations and thus became a prominent representative of the Liberals. In 1848 he was elected to the parliament of the province of Canada .

In the cabinet of co-heads of government Francis Hincks and Augustin-Norbert Morin , Richards was Attorney General from 1851 to 1853 . He was then appointed to the Supreme Court of the Province of Canada and became its chairman ten years later. From November 1868 he was chairman of the Ontario Supreme Court . He has led numerous high-profile legal proceedings, including the appeal in the Thomas D'Arcy McGee murder .

Richards was involved in the legislative process to create a Supreme Court for the new Canadian state and visited several judges based on the American model to gain insight into the effectiveness of such a court. Finally, on September 30, 1875, Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie appointed him first chairman of the Supreme Court of Canada . In the first few years the new court was politically highly controversial, as it first had to be established and the procedures had not yet been determined. Richards often stayed abroad in order to learn about the processes at similar courts, which he then adapted to Canadian circumstances. On January 10, 1879, he resigned for health reasons.

His younger brother, Albert Norton Richards, was a member of the House of Commons and Vice-Governor of British Columbia .

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personal data
SURNAME Richards, William Buell
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian judge and politician, Chairman of the Supreme Court
DATE OF BIRTH May 2, 1815
PLACE OF BIRTH Brockville
DATE OF DEATH January 26, 1889
Place of death Ottawa