Robert Richards (Australian politician)
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The Honourable Robert Richards |
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| 32nd Premier of South Australia Elections: 1933, 1941, 1944, 1947 |
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In office 13 February 1933 – 18 April 1933 |
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| Monarch | George V |
| Governor | Earl of Gowrie |
| Preceded by | Lionel Hill |
| Succeeded by | Richard L. Butler |
| 23rd Leader of the Opposition (SA) | |
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In office 1938–1949 |
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| Preceded by | Andrew Lacey |
| Succeeded by | Mick O'Halloran |
| 11th Australian Labor Party (SA) leader | |
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In office 1938–1949 |
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| Preceded by | Andrew Lacey |
| Succeeded by | Mick O'Halloran |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
31 May 1885 Moonta, South Australia, Australia |
| Died | 24 April 1967 (aged 81) Moonta, South Australia, Australia |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party (SA) |
Robert Stanley "Bob" Richards (31 May 1885 – 24 April 1967), generally referred to as "R. S. Richards" was the 32nd Premier of South Australia, representing the South Australian Branch of the Australian Labor Party.
Born in Moonta Mines, South Australia, the youngest of twelve children to Cornish miner Richard Richards and his wife Mary, Richards was locally educated before leaving school at age 13 to work in the Moonta mines, initially in menial jobs and later as a carpenter. In his early twenties Richards moved to Burnie, Tasmania to manage a copper mine before returning to Moonta, where he married Ada Dixon on 31 January 1914.
Richards became involved with the labour movement and was elected vice-president of the Federated Mining Employees Association in 1916. When that union merged into the Australian Workers' Union in 1917, he became president of the AWU's mining section, proving himself to be a forceful and competent leader. A lay Methodist preacher, Freemason and keen cricketer and Australian rules footballer, Richards was a popular and well known local identity and it came as no surprise when he sought Labor preselection.
Elected to the Electoral district of Wallaroo (which covered Moonta) in the South Australian House of Assembly at the 1918 election, Richards quickly gained a reputation in parliament for his leadership and debating abilities and following Labor’s victory at the 1924 election, Richards was named Chairman of Committees, firstly in the John Gunn led government and, following Gunn's resignation, in Lionel Hill’s cabinet.
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