He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England and came to New Zealand in 1894, first at Gisborne and then Poverty Bay where he worked on sheep farms.

He briefly moved to Wanganui in 1908 where he founded Wanganui Branch of New Zealand Socialist Party before returning to Gisborne where he became President of East Coast Trades Council and was also Secretary of Gisborne Hotel Workers' Union from 1911 to 1917.

[1] Richards unsuccessfully stood for the Auckland City Council on a Labour ticket in the 1923 local elections.

He held Roskill until 1946, when he successfully transferred to the "safe" (for Labour) Mount Albert electorate in the 1946 general election.

[7] He was the senior Government whip from 1942 until his death, and was succeeded in that position by his deputy, Robert Macfarlane.