| Honorific-Prefix: | The Right Honourable |
| The Lord Richardson of Duntisbourne | |
| Office: | Governor of the Bank of England |
| Term Start: | 1 July 1973 |
| Term End: | 30 June 1983 |
| Predecessor: | Sir Leslie O'Brien |
| Successor: | Robin Leigh-Pemberton |
| Birthname: | Gordon William Humphreys Richardson |
| Birth Date: | 25 November 1915 |
| Nationality: | British |
| Alma Mater: | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
| Occupation: | Lawyer, banker |
Gordon William Humphreys Richardson, Baron Richardson of Duntisbourne (25 November 1915 – 22 January 2010) was a British banker, former lawyer, and former Governor of the Bank of England.[1]
Richardson was born to John Robert and Nellie Richardson, and was educated at Nottingham High School and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
He served during the Second World War and became a Member of the Order of the British Empire, Military Division, in 1944. He was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in 1946, becoming a member of the Bar Council between 1951 and 1955, but abandoned law for a career in the City of London. He became a director of J. Henry Schroder & Co in 1957, and was later chairman between 1962 and 1973.
He was appointed Governor of the Bank of England in 1973, and remained in that position until 1983. November 1973 saw a run on London and County Securities, marking the start of the secondary banking crisis.
While serving as governor, Richardson joined the Privy Council (1976) and was awarded the Territorial Decoration (1979). He was created a life peer as Baron Richardson of Duntisbourne, of Duntisbourne in the County of Gloucestershire, and a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter, both in 1983.
In February 1978, Richardson delivered the inaugural Mais Lecture, entitled "Reflections on the Conduct of Monetary Policy".[2] Since then, the annual lecture has come to be regarded as a leading event in the banking and financial community of the City of London, hosting each of the subsequent Bank of England Governors, as well as Prime Ministers, Chancellors of the Exchequer, and European Central Bankers.
Richardson was a member of the Morgan Stanley advisory board from 1984. Between 1985 and 1991, he was a member of the Group of Thirty, and thereafter remained as their Honorary Chair. He was chairman of the Pilgrim Trust from 1984 to 1989.[3]
On the evening of 22 January 2010, the Bank of England released a statement announcing Richardson's death.[4]
| Gordon Richardson, Baron Richardson of Duntisbourne, KG, MBE, TD, PC, DL | |
| Escutcheon: | Argent a fess wavy Bleu Celeste between in chief three swords in fess points upwards Gules and in base a pair of scales on a bordure also Gules eight bezants. |
| Orders: | Order of the Garter |
| Symbolism: | The pale blue fess wavy represents the River Cam, and hence the University of Cambridge, Richardson's alma mater. The bezants represent gold coins for banking. The swords refer to the City of London, a city to which he had many links. The scales are a symbol of law and refer to his law career. His crest (not depicted here) is a seated female figure which represents the Bank of England, and is identifiable with the female figure of Britannia which appears on coinage.[5] |