Background
Richards was born in Ogden, Utah to Charles C. Richards and Louisa L. Peery.
Richards was born in Ogden, Utah to Charles C. Richards and Louisa L. Peery.
University of Utah.
He was the youngest of eight children. Richards was married to Helen Kearnes and was the father of four children. During his mission, he was the president of the church"s New York, Boston, and Brooklyn districts.
In 1923, Richards received a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Utah.
He practiced law in Salt Lake City until being named as the first Utah director of the Federal Housing Administration. In 1947, he became the national commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration in Washington, District of Columbia Richards resigned this position in 1952 and pursued a career in mortgage banking.
In 1960, he became an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He served in this capacity until 1976, when the position was discontinued. In 1983, he was released from the Presidency of the Seventy to serve as the president of the Washington District of Columbia Temple.
He served in this position until 1986.
Richards died at home in Salt Lake City and his funeral was held in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall on what would have been his 87th birthday.
At this time, he became a member of the newly constituted First Quorum of the Seventy and the senior president of the Presidency of the Seventy.
