Athol Railton Richardson (15 May 1897 – 22 May 1982) was an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

politician and judge. Richardson represented the

Electoral district of Ashfield Ashfield was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of New South Wales, first created in 1894 with the abolition of multi-member electoral districts from part of Canterbury, and named after the Sydney suburb o ...

for the

United Australia Party The United Australia Party (UAP) was an Australian political party that was founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. The party won four federal elections in that time, usually governing in coalition with the Country Party. It provided two prim ...

and the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

from 11 May 1935 until 5 February 1952.

Early life

Richardson was born to parents Stephen Arthur Richardson, a Salvation Army officer, and mother Elizabeth Sarah Urquhart in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

. Richardson jnr served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in the 2nd and 4th squadrons of the

Australian Flying Corps The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC was established in 1912, though it was not until ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

from 1917 till 1919. He married Isabel McCrea Watson on 23 February 1928 and had one daughter and one son.

Political career

Richardson entered politics by contesting and winning the

for the

at the 1935 election. He was subsequently re-elected to the seat of Ashfield at the

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eu ...

and

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

elections. He resigned to unsuccessfully contest the federal seat of Parkes in 1946. He regained Ashfield at the subsequent by-election and retained it at the

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

and 1950 elections. During his time in parliament he held various ministerial portfolio's including Minister for Social Services (13 October 1938 – 5 August 1939),

Minister for Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

(22 February 1939 – 30 June 1939), Minister for Labour and Industry (26 June 1939 – 5 August 1939) and

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

(16 August 1939 – 16 May 1941). He was also Deputy Leader of the Opposition for 1941 until 1945. Richardson retired from politics upon his appointment as a Judge of the Supreme Court in 1952. During his judicial tenure, Richardson remained a member of the

; Tom Hughes describes him as a man of 'orderly habits', but criticises him as 'a well-meaning man who gained marks only for sincerity and effort'. Richardson retired from the bench in 1967.

Death and honours

Richardson died on 22 May 1982, at

Darling Point Darling Point is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, Australia. It is 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of Woollahra Council. Darling Point is bounded by Sydney Harbour to ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Honours received

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1951. * Officer

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in 1976. * Hon LLD New York 1968.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Athol 1897 births 1982 deaths Australian barristers Australian World War I pilots Australian military personnel of World War I Australian King's Counsel Judges of the Supreme Court of New South Wales Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century King's Counsel United Australia Party members of the Parliament of New South Wales Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Treasurers of New South Wales 20th-century Australian politicians