Charles Dow Richards (June 12, 1879 – September 15, 1956), was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician. He served as the 20th

premier of New Brunswick The premier of New Brunswick ( French (masculine): ''premier ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick'', or feminine: ''première ministre du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The ...

from 1931 to 1933.

Early life and education

Richards was born in

Southampton, New Brunswick Southampton is a Canadian rural community in York County, New Brunswick. The community is located on the east side of the Saint John River, 3.71 km south of Southampton Junction, a station located within the village of Nackawic-Millville ...

. He attended Fredericton Normal School and later the University of New Brunswick.

Career

Richards taught school for several years. He was admitted to the bar at age 33. and practised law in Fredericton. Richards was elected to the New Brunswick legislature in 1920. He served as

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

house leader {{Politics of Canada In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench Member of Parliament (MP) and an expert in parliamentary procedure. The same representation is found in the pr ...

and then

Minister of Lands and Mines Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

under

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

John B. M. Baxter John Babington Macaulay Baxter (February 16, 1868 – December 27, 1946) was a New Brunswick lawyer, jurist and the 19th premier of New Brunswick. Baxter served in the Canadian Army and was the author of ''Historical Records of the New Bruns ...

. In 1928 the University of New Brunswick conferred on him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In 1931 Richards became premier of New Brunswick. His two-year administration, in the depths of the Great Depression, instituted public bidding on crown land and fishing rights. In 1933 he left politics when he was appointed to the

Supreme Court of New Brunswick The Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick (in French: ''Cour du Banc du Roi du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the superior trial court of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Structure The Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick consists of a C ...

, serving as its Chief Justice from 1946 to 1955. As Justice, Richards sentenced the last man to be executed in Charlotte County. He did not accept the jury's request "that mercy be shown to the accused," 22-year-old Thomas Roland Hutchings, and sentenced him to hang at St. Andrews, New Brunswick on Wednesday, December 16, 1942, for the

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

and

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

of Bernice Connors.

Personal life

Richards married Grace Bolton. The couple had one daughter, who married a descendant of

Philemon Wright Philemon Wright (September 3, 1760 – June 3, 1839) was a farmer, lumberman and entrepreneur who founded the Ottawa River Timber Trade in 1806. He was also founder of what he named Columbia Falls Village, mostly known as (or Wrightstown) an ...

. Richards died in 1956 and was buried in the Forest Hill Cemetery in

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

References

External links

Government of New Brunswick biography (pdf)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Charles D. 1879 births 1956 deaths University of New Brunswick alumni Lawyers in New Brunswick Judges in New Brunswick Premiers of New Brunswick People from York County, New Brunswick