Richard Davies Hanson

Sir Richard Davies Hanson (1805-1876), judge and author, was born on 6 December 1805 in London, the second son of Benjamin Hanson, fruit merchant. Educated at a Nonconformist school in Melbourn, Cambridgeshire, he was articled at 17 to the Methodist John Wilks, admitted an attorney in 1828 and practised briefly in London.

From 18 November 1872 Hanson acted as governor of South Australia until April 1873 when Governor (Sir) Anthony Musgrave arrived. With the latter he had very cordial relations, each helping the other with friendly comment on their publications. Hanson gave enthusiastic support to the founding of the University of Adelaide and, when the Act was passed in 1874, its councillors elected him chancellor and invited him to give the inaugural address on 25 March 1876. It was prepared but not given. He died suddenly of heart disease in his garden at Woodhouse on the 4th, and was buried with a state funeral. Survived by his wife, a son and four daughters, he left an estate of about £5000.