Richard James O'Sullivan (1826–1889) was a New Zealand teacher and school inspector. He was born in Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland in about 1826. He was a teacher at St Peter's School, Auckland and taught many early native-born Aucklanders, including later Cabinet Ministers, John Sheehan and Joseph Tole, Mayor of Auckland Peter Dignan and Charles and William Outhwaite.