He was born in Ramelton, a small town in the north of County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland, and became a Methodist at the age of 14.

In 1819 he emigrated with his brother to Saint John, New Brunswick, where he was persuaded to become a candidate for the Methodist ministry.

In 1820 he was appointed an assistant at St. David's in New Brunswick by the Nova Scotia District and in 1825 was admitted as a Methodist minister.

At his retirement in 1870 he had been chairman of the newly formed Western District and led to the formation of the Methodist Conference of Eastern British America and served as its president from 1856 to 1861 and 1867 to 1868.

[1] He died at the home of his son Matthew Henry Richey who was Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.