Richard Gardiner Casey was born on 17 December 1846 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land (present day Tasmania), the son of Dr Cornelius Gavin Casey and his wife Letitia (née Gardiner).

[1] On 23 May 1888, Richard Gardiner Casey married Evelyn Jane Harris at St John's Anglican Cathedral, Brisbane, Queensland; the service was conducted by the Rev.

The reception was held at the bride's parents' residence, Newstead House (then one of Brisbane's finest homes), after which the couple left for a honeymoon at Sandgate, then a popular beachside holiday resort.

He served as Chairman of the Victorian Racing Club from 1907 to 1916, when he and his wife sailed to England to be nearer to their sons who were with the AIF in France.

[9] On returning from England to Australia in 1919 on the SS Makura, Casey was taken ill and taken ashore in Honolulu, Hawaii where he died of pneumonia on 25 April 1919.