Sir William Buell Richards PC (May 2, 1815 – January 26, 1889) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and judge, and served as the first Chief Justice of Canada.

The youngest brother Albert Norton Richards represented Leeds South in the House of Commons of Canada as a Liberal member from 1872 to 1874; and served as the second Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1876 to 1881.

A month later on November 8, the five puisne justices—William Johnstone Ritchie, Samuel Henry Strong, Jean-Thomas Taschereau, Télesphore Fournier, William Alexander Henry—were sworn in.

[10] In January 1879, Richards resigned as Chief Justice following pressure from his longtime friend, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald,[8] likely due to his deteriorating health.

[10] Snell and Vaughn note that Richards' tenure as Chief Justice fell short of expectations and failed to meet the needs of the newly established Court.

[8] Biographer Ian MacPherson notes that Richards had many of the qualities necessary for a good Chief Justice, particularly his wide scope when viewing issues and decisions using broad principles of law.