Hon Sir Richard Hanson

Sir Richard Davies Hanson

06 December 1805

Pre-Party System

Former Member

City of Adelaide

House of Assembly

21 February 1851

Sir Richard Hanson became part of South Australia's history very early, after his involvement with early proposals to set up the colony, but travelled first to Canada and then New Zealand before arriving in Adelaide in 1846. He immediately began a legal practice and in 1851 was appointed acting Advocate-General for the colony. Hanson introduced the first Education Act, serving on the resulting Education Board, and shared in the drafting of the first constitution of South Australia. He served as Attorney-General in the first ministry under Finniss. In 1857 Hanson was elected as a member for Adelaide and formed his own ministry in September of that year - fourth Premier of South Australia, his two-and-a-half year leadership was to be the longest so far, although he resigned and was reinstated once, and had to reform his cabinet twice. The most significant act of his government was the Real Property Act of 1857-8, introduced by Torrens, which outlined a system for property title and transfer that was far better suited to the needs of the colony than the inefficient and outmoded system that had brought with them from Britain. Also occurring under Hanson's leadership were the completion of the Adelaide to Gawler railway and the beginning of construction of the Glenelg jetty. The first Parliament was dissolved on the first of March, 1860, and Hanson replaced Sir Charles Cooper as Chief Justice of the South Australian Supreme Court in 1861. He was knighted in 1869, and acted as Governor of South Australia for 1872-73. He strongly supported the founding of the University of Adelaide, but died before he was able to present the inaugural address in 1876.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia 1861-76

04 March 1876