{{Short description|Canadian lumber merchant and political figure}} '''Richard Henry Williams''' (June 13, 1852 — August 25, 1924) was a Canadian lumber merchant and political figure in the province of [[Saskatchewan]]. He was mayor of [[Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina]], the province's capital and second-largest city, from 1891 to 1892 and from 1909 to 1910.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.regina.ca/residents/heritage-history/list-of-mayors/ |title=Browse list of Regina's Mayors From the date of incorporation as a Town in December, 1883 / From the date of incorporation as a City on June 19, 1903 (City of Regina website) |access-date=August 27, 2015 |archive-date=June 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612155551/http://www.regina.ca/residents/heritage-history/list-of-mayors/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[https://www.amazon.in/Mayors-Regina-Saskatchewan-Books-LLC/dp/1155562631 Books LLC. ''Mayors of Regina, Saskatchewan'' (September 15, 2010)]</ref>
He was born in [[Toronto]]. After completing his education, Williams worked on the family farm in [[Simcoe County, Ontario|Simcoe County]] before finding work in a lumber mill. In 1874, he married Mary Susan Reid. In 1881, he headed west to [[Winnipeg|Fort Garry]] and continued on to Regina in 1882, where his wife and family joined him. Williams entered the construction business there before opening a lumber supply company in 1891. In 1888, he established the Glasgow House, the main department store in Regina for almost 60 years.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=_p46AQAAMAAJ&dq=R+H+Williams+Regina+mayor&pg=PA381 Richard Henry Williams in ''Who's Who in Western Canada'', volume 1, page 381]</ref> He served on the board of the Regina General Hospital, serving as chairman from 1915 to 1921, and was also a member of the school board.<ref name="tour">{{cite book |url=http://www.ourroots.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=6720 |title=Regina Cemetery Walking Tour: Tour 1: City Founding Fathers (Blue Tour) |author=Regina Ethnic Pioneers Cemetery Walking Tour Inc |year=2000 |pages=19–20 |accessdate=2009-08-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615064326/http://www.ourroots.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=6720 |archivedate=2011-06-15 }}</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=SX0VAAAAYAAJ&dq=R+H+Williams+Regina+mayor&pg=PA704 ''The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs'' (Annual Review Publishing Company, 1917)]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=h-wzAQAAMAAJ&dq=R+H+Williams+Regina+mayor&pg=PA334 Hopkins, John Castell. ''The Canadian Annual Review of Public Affairs'' (Canadian Review Company, Limited, 1919]</ref>
Williams died in Regina at the age of 72 from complications stomach cancer.<ref>{{cite news|title=R. H. Williams, Pioneer Citizen, City Builder, Dead|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/27271486/the_leaderpost/|date=August 26, 1924|newspaper=The Leader-Post|page=1|accessdate=January 15, 2019}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
{{Mayors of Regina, Saskatchewan}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Richard H}} [[Category:Mayors of Regina, Saskatchewan]] [[Category:Politicians from Toronto]] [[Category:1852 births]] [[Category:1924 deaths]] [[Category:Canadian merchants]] [[Category:Lumber merchants]] [[Category:19th-century mayors of places in Saskatchewan]] [[Category:20th-century mayors of places in Saskatchewan]] [[Category:Saskatchewan school board members]] {{Saskatchewan-mayor-stub}}