Alexander Robert Richardson

Alexander Robert Richardson
Born	Template:Birth date Islington, London, England
Died	May 2, 1931(1931-05-02) (aged 83) South Perth, Western Australia
Occupation(s)	Pastoralist, politician
Years active	1864–1921
Known for	Pastoral development in North-West Australia; member of Western Australian Parliament; Commissioner for Crown Lands

Alexander Robert Richardson (4 July 1847 – 2 May 1931) was a prominent Australian pastoralist and politician. He built his fortune by developing pastoral leases in the North-West of Australia and held positions in both chambers of the Western Australian Parliament. Richardson served on the Legislative Council from 1887 until 1890 and subsequently represented the Legislative Assembly from 1890 to 1897, including a ministerial appointment within John Forrest's administration.

Early life

Richardson was born in Islington, London, to Scottish parents Jane (née Anderson) and Thomas Elliot Richardson, who transitioned from being a Presbyterian minister to owning a newspaper. The family soon emigrated to Victoria, Australia, settling in Portland. There, his father acquired the Portland Guardian newspaper, where Richardson briefly worked before joining family members involved in managing nearby pastoral leases.

Business career

In 1864, Alexander and his brother helped establish the Portland Squatting Company to take advantage of favorable land policies in other colonies. They arrived in Western Australia in 1865 with a flock of 1,600 sheep, initially setting up in Cossack. Their operations later expanded into the Pilbara area with the establishment of Pyramid Station. After purchasing their partners' shares, they extended their pastoral interests along the Fortescue River. By 1874, Richardson had relocated to Lowlands Homestead near Perth, while continuing to develop his properties in the North-West. In 1880, he ended his business partnership with his brother and co-founded the Murray Squatting Company alongside future parliamentarians William Paterson and Samuel Elliott. This enterprise developed Yeeda Station in the Kimberley region and acquired additional holdings.

Politics

Richardson was elected to represent the Northern District in the Legislative Council in 1887, serving until its abolition in 1890 with the advent of responsible government. Subsequently, he secured the Legislative Assembly seat for De Grey during the 1890 general election and was re-elected without opposition in 1894. Later that year, he was appointed as Commissioner for Crown Lands within the Forrest Ministry, taking over from William Marmion. In this capacity, he promoted significant legislation and contributed to founding the Agricultural Bank of Western Australia. Richardson resigned from both parliament and his ministerial post in April 1897 following a policy disagreement with Premier John Forrest. At one point, he was regarded as a likely candidate to succeed Forrest as premier.

Later life

Following his political career, Richardson acted as a trustee for the Agricultural Bank until 1921. He also served two terms as president of the Royal Agricultural Society in 1889 and again in 1894. He retired to South Perth in 1922 and passed away there in 1931 at age 83. Married since 1874 to Ellen Bates Wellard, they had twelve children, including a daughter who wed fellow parliamentarian Garnet Wood.