Richard Hargrave

{{Short description|Australian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}

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| assembly = New South Wales Legislative

| term_start = 17 April 1856

| term_end = 19 December 1857

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| constituency_AM = New England and Macleay

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| birth_date = 1 February 1817

| birth_place = Greenwich, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|1905|1|19|1817|2|1|df=y}}

| death_place = Armidale, New South Wales

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Richard Hargrave (1 February 1817 – 19 January 1905) was an Australian politician and a pastoralist.

Hargrave was born to Joshua Hargrave and Sarah Hargrave (née Lee) on 1 February 1817 at Greenwich, England. His father was a hardware merchant.

He arrived in Sydney in 1838 on board the Argyle and went to work on Combelong Station at Monaro for Messrs Hughes and Hosking. The following year he became a partner of the Callendoon Station and the Goondiwini Stations on the Macintyre River. He founded Beeboo and Whylm on the Severn River. In 1843, he lost everything along with his partners following the financial collapse of the New South Wales economy in that year. His merchant father refinanced Hargrave and he was able to purchase {{convert|21000|acre|km2}} at Armidale which he named "Hillgrove Station". He also acquired leases for Bostobrick and Tyringham and Hernani in New England. He was said to be involved in much conflict with the local Aboriginal population. He married Mary William on 16 February 1847 at Sydney. They had six sons and one daughter.

Was a member for New England and Macleay from 17 April 1856 to 19 December 1857 in the first New South Wales Legislative Assembly. During his time as a member he was a member of the following committees:{{cite NSW Parliament |id=452 |name=Mr Richard Hargrave (1817-1905) |access-date=19 April 2019}}

• Elections and Qualifications Committee
• Impounding Laws Committee
• Australian Trust Company's Bill Committee
• Petition of Mr David Cross Committee
• Elections and Qualifications Committee
• Reclaiming Land, Woolloomooloo Bay Committee
• Secondary Punishment Committee
• Scab and Catarrh in Sheep Committee
• Australian Gas Company's Light Bill Committee

After politics, he and his wife retired to Armidale and moved into a cottage near the railway station. The street where they lived is now named Hargrave Street after them. He died at Armidale on 19 January 1905,{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article236915420 |title=Death of an old colonist |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|location=Sydney |date=20 January 1905 |access-date=22 September 2022 |page=5 |via=Trove}} the final surviving member of the first Legislative Assembly.{{cite news |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71498254 |title=The late Mr Richard Hargreave |newspaper=Australian Town and Country Journal |date=25 January 1905 |access-date=22 September 2022 |page=20 |via=Trove}}

His brother John Hargrave also served in the New South Wales Parliament after arriving in New South Wales in 1857. His brother went on to become Solicitor-General, Attorney General and a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.{{cite NSW Parliament |id=434 |name=Mr John Fletcher Hargrave, QC (1815-1885) |access-date=11 March 2019}}
{{AuDB |last=Bennett |first=J M |year=1972 |id2=hargrave-john-fletcher-3718 |title=Hargrave, John Fletcher (1815-1885) |access-date=19 April 2019}} His nephew Lawrence Hargrave was the inventor of the box or cellular kite.{{AuDB |last=Inglis |first=Amirah |year=1983 |id2=hargrave-lawrence-6563 |title=Hargrave, Lawrence (1850–1915) |access-date=19 April 2019}} Hargrave's great, grandson Rick Colless was a member of the Legislative Council.{{cite NSW Parliament |id=14 |name=The Hon Richard Hargrave Colless (1952 – ) |access-date=2 April 2019}}
{{cite Hansard |title=Legislative Council Rural Assistance Amendment Bill Hansard (Extract) |speaker=Richard Colless |url=https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/member/files/14/First%20Speech.Colless.pdf |access-date=19 April 2019 |jurisdiction=New South Wales |house=Legislative Council |date=11 October 2000}}