b. 1819
d. 1896-11-14
Captain George Henry Richards, was born in 1819 in Antony, Cornwall, England -- he
entered the Royal Navy in 1832. He joined the
Sulphur as midshipman in 1836; and from 1839-42, Richards served in the first Opium War in
China. Due to his bravery in the war he was promoted to lieutenant in July 1842. He
was subsequently assigned to the Navy's survey of the
Falkland Island. His work in South America led to his promotion of commander, he remained here until
1847 when he tranferred to the
New Zealand coast.From 1847 to 1852, Richards served as a participant on the survey of the coasts
of
New Zealand. And from 1852-54, he served as second in command on Edward Belcher's ship
Assistance and traveled to the Arctic in search of
Sir John Franklin, who's expedition was never completed as he had been missing since 1845.
Upon Richards arrival in England in 1854, he was promoted to captain. It was only
two years later in 1856 that Richards was given command of the screw survey vessel
the
Plumper. On 10 November 1857, Richards arrived in
Esquimalt and was charged with aiding in determining the location of the international boundary
through the
San Juan Islands. The survey was completed in June 1858, but by the end of it Richards claimed that
he was
sick of all commissions
as they were
nothing but trickery and humbug.
Richards work continued, in the same month, the
Plumper was sent to the
Fraser River, where Richards was tasked with examining and buoying the lower stretches of the
river. By 23 December 1860, Richards transferred to the
Plumper's replacement, the
Hecate, he continued to survey the coast of
Vancouver Island on board the new ship until 1864.
Richards time surveying was often interrupted by the request of
Governor James Douglas to help deal with conflicts between whites and the Indigenous population, much of
the conflicts Richards witnessed he believed to be primarily the fault of the whites.
After his work on
V.I., Richards returned to England in 1864 where he was appointed as hydrographer of the
Navy, in this position he became an active promoter of oceanographic reseach which
he continued until his retirement in 1874. In his retirement, Richards was a fellow
of the Royal Society and the Royal Geographical Society, when he was thus knighted
in 1877 and became admiral in 1884. Until, and after, Richards death on 14 November
1896, he was regarded as
a man of great ability and untiring activity,
and that his
kindness to young members of his profession caused him to be universally beloved and
respected.