{{Short description|Canadian politician}} {{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = | image_size = | honorific_prefix = | name = Claude Richmond | honorific_suffix = | caption = | birth_name = Claude Harry Richmond | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1935|8|3}}<ref name="CPG"/> | birth_place = {{nowrap|Blue River, British Columbia}} | office = 35th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia | term_start = June 19, 2001 | term_end = May 16, 2005 | predecessor = Bill Hartley | successor = Bill Barisoff | assembly1 = British Columbia Legislative | constituency_AM1 = Kamloops | term_start1 = May 16, 2001 | term_end1 = May 12, 2009 | predecessor1 = Cathy McGregor | successor1 = ''Riding abolished'' | term_start2 = December 14, 1981 | term_end2 = October 17, 1991 | alongside2 = Bud Smith <small>(1986-91)</small> | predecessor2 = Rafe Mair | successor2 = Arthur Charbonneau | office3 = Minister of Tourism of British Columbia | premier3 = Bill Bennett<br>Bill Vander Zalm | term_start3 = August 10, 1982 | term_end3 = August 14, 1986 | predecessor3 = Patricia Jordan | successor3 = William Earl Reid | office4 = Minister of Social Services and Housing of British Columbia | premier4 = Bill Vander Zalm | term_start4 = August 14, 1986 | term_end4 = November 1, 1989 | predecessor4 = Jack Kempf (Lands, Parks and Housing) | successor4 = Peter Albert Dueck | office5 = Minister of State, Okanagan of British Columbia | premier5 = Bill Vander Zalm | term_start5 = October 22, 1987 | term_end5 = July 6, 1988 | predecessor5 = ''Position established'' | successor5 = Howard Dirks (Thompson–Okanagan and Kootenays) | office6 = Minister of Tourism and Provincial Secretary of British Columbia | premier6 = Bill Vander Zalm | term_start6 = September 22, 1989 | term_end6 = November 1, 1989 | predecessor6 = William Earl Reid | successor6 = Cliff Michael (Tourism)<br>Howard Dirks (Provincial Secretary) | office7 = Minister of Forests of British Columbia | premier7 = Bill Vander Zalm<br />Rita Johnston | term_start7 = November 1, 1989 | term_end7 = November 5, 1991 | predecessor7 = Dave Parker | successor7 = Dan Miller | office8 = Minister of Employment and Income Assistance of British Columbia | premier8 = Gordon Campbell | term_start8 = June 16, 2005 | term_end8 = June 23, 2008 | predecessor8 = ''Position established'' | successor8 = ''Position abolished'' | party = Social Credit<br />Liberal | spouse = {{marriage|Patricia Simpson|February 28, 1958}} }}
'''Claude Harry Richmond''' (born August 3, 1935) is a former Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, representing the riding of Kamloops from 1981 to 1991 as part of the British Columbia Social Credit Party (Socred),<ref name="google">{{cite book|title=Who's who in the West: A Biographical Dictionary of Noteworthy Men and Women of the Pacific Coast and the Western States|date=2004|publisher=A.N. Marquis Company|isbn=9780837909356|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZxmAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=2015-03-02}}</ref> and from 2001 to 2009 as part of the British Columbia Liberal Party. He held various cabinet positions under premiers Bill Bennett, Bill Vander Zalm, Rita Johnston and Gordon Campbell, and served as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2005.
==Background== Born in Blue River, British Columbia, Richmond grew up in the Kamloops area and attended Kamloops Senior Secondary School.<ref name="CPG">{{cite web |title=Richmond, Hon. Claude (Kamloops) Speaker of the Legislative Assembly |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/international/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/richmond-hon-claude-kamloops-speaker-legislative-assembly |work=Canadian Parliamentary Guide |access-date=2024-10-07}}</ref><ref name="BCLeg">{{cite web|url=http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/38thparl/richmond.htm|title=MLA: Claude Richmond|publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207165859/http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/38thparl/richmond.htm|archive-date=2012-02-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> After serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force and working in small business, he served on the Kamloops City Council for two terms in the 1970s, then worked as manager of CHNL AM610 from 1978 to 1982.<ref name="CPG"/><ref name="BCLeg"/>
He married his wife Patricia in 1958;<ref name="CPG"/> they have three children together.<ref name="BCLeg"/>
==Provincial politics== ===Social Credit Party=== Running for the Social Credit Party, he was first elected as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Kamloops in a 1981 by-election to replace Rafe Mair,<ref name="CPG"/><ref name="BCLeg"/><ref name="CED">{{cite web |title=Candidates: Claude Harry Richmond |url=https://canadianelectionsdatabase.ca/PHASE5/?p=0&type=person&ID=17410 |work=Canadian Elections Database |access-date=2024-10-09}}</ref> and was named to the cabinet as Minister of Tourism by Premier Bill Bennett in August 1982.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JWs_AAAAIBAJ&pg=3157,1880714 |title=British Columbia shuffles cabinet |date=August 21, 1982 |page=12 |newspaper=The Financial Post |first=Kenneth |last=Kidd |accessdate=2024-10-07}}</ref><ref name="Exco">{{cite web|title=British Columbia Executive Council Appointments 1871 - 1986 |url=https://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/pubdocs/bcdocs/47984/execouncil.pdf |page=76 |publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia |accessdate=2024-10-07 |first1=Judith Antonik |last1=Bennett |first2=Frederike |last2=Verspoor }}</ref> He kept the portfolio after winning re-election in 1983.<ref name="BCLeg"/><ref name="CED"/><ref name="Exco"/>
After Bill Vander Zalm replaced Bennett as premier in August 1986, Richmond was re-assigned as Minister of Social Services and Housing.<ref name="VanderZalmCabinet">{{cite web|title=Vander Zalm Cabinet: 33rd-34th Parliament 1986-1991 |url=https://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/vanderzalmcabinet.pdf|publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|accessdate=2024-09-26}}</ref> He was re-elected in that October's provincial election;<ref name="BCLeg"/><ref name="CED"/> with Kamloops being revised to a dual-member district, Richmond served that term alongside Bud Smith. He retained his cabinet portfolio, and additionally served as Minister of State for the Okanagan Region from October 1987 to July 1988.<ref name="VanderZalmCabinet"/> Following the resignation of Bill Reid as Minister of Tourism and Provincial Secretary, Richmond briefly assumed those roles from September to November 1989, before becoming Minister of Forests.<ref name="VanderZalmCabinet"/> He was also the Government House Leader from 1988 to 1991.<ref name="BCLeg"/>
Vander Zalm resigned as premier and party leader in April 1991; Richmond unsuccessfully contested the ensuing interim leadership vote,<ref>{{cite web|title=Archives: Rita Johnston becomes Canada's first female premier |url=https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/courier-archive/news/archives-rita-johnston-becomes-canadas-first-female-premier-2996520|publisher=Vancouver Courier |first=Andrew |last=Fleming |date=2015-04-02 |accessdate=2024-10-07}}</ref> and subsequently stayed on as Minister of Forests under new premier Rita Johnston.<ref name="BCLeg"/><ref>{{cite web|title=Rita Johnston Cabinet: 34th Parliament 1991 |url=https://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/johnstoncabinet.pdf|publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|accessdate=2024-10-07}}</ref> He declined to run in that year's provincial election, which saw the Socreds reduced to only seven seats in the legislature. Following Johnston's resignation in January 1992, Richmond ran again for party leader. In the November 1993 leadership election, he came in third place behind Graham Bruce and eventual winner Grace McCarthy on the second ballot, and was eliminated.<ref>{{cite book |last=Courtney |first=John C. |date=1995 |title=Do Conventions Matter?: Choosing National Party Leaders in Canada |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jdIPs9zun7AC&dq=%22linda+reid%22+%22allan+warnke%22&pg=PA369 |location= |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press |page=369 |isbn=0773565698}}</ref>
While away from politics, Richmond conducted consultancy work in the resource sector, and served as managing director of Kamloops Airport Limited from 1997 to 2001.<ref name="CPG"/><ref name="BCLeg"/>
===Liberal Party=== He returned to politics in 2001 by running again in Kamloops in that year's provincial election, this time for the BC Liberals. He defeated the incumbent New Democratic Party candidate Cathy McGregor to re-enter the legislature,<ref name="CED"/> and was chosen as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.<ref name="BCLeg"/> After winning re-election in 2005,<ref name="CED"/><ref>{{cite news|title=Kamloops again votes with winner |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/kamloops-again-votes-with-winner-1.531042|publisher=CBC News|date=2005-05-18|accessdate=2024-10-07}}</ref> he was named to Premier Gordon Campbell's cabinet that June as Minister of Employment and Income Assistance.<ref name="CampbellCabinet">{{cite web|title=Campbell Cabinet: 37th Parliament 2001-2005, 38th Parliament 2005-2009, 39th Parliament 2009-2011 |url=https://www.llbc.leg.bc.ca/public/reference/campbell_cabinet.pdf|publisher=Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|accessdate=2024-10-07}}</ref>
On May 9, 2008, he announced that he would not stand for re-election in the 2009 provincial election;<ref>{{cite news|title=MLA Richmond steps down, citing health|publisher=Vancouver Province|date=2008-05-11|page=A23}}</ref> he was dropped from the cabinet that June.<ref name="CampbellCabinet"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Premier names new cabinet heading into election |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/premier-names-new-cabinet-heading-into-election-1.742501 |publisher=CBC News |date=2008-06-23 |accessdate=2024-10-09}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://www.leg.bc.ca/mla/38thparl/richmond.htm Legislative Assembly of British Columbia - Claude Richmond]
{{Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia}} {{Gordon Campbell Ministry}} {{Johnston Ministry}} {{Vander Zalm Ministry}} {{Bill Bennett Ministry}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond, Claude}} Category:1935 births Category:Living people Category:BC United MLAs Category:British Columbia Social Credit Party MLAs Category:British Columbia municipal councillors Category:Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Category:Ministers of tourism of British Columbia Category:Politicians from Kamloops Category:Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Category:20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Category:21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia