Howard N. Richards

HOWARD N. RICHARDS was appointed to The University of Texas System Board of Regents by Governor Dolph Briscoe, in January, 1979.

Mr. Richards, formerly of Beaumont but now of Austin, is a lawyer and has had extensive activity in legislative, as well as legal matters. He held numerous leadership positions while on the staff of Governor Briscoe, from April 1973 to May 1978.

In 1973, Mr. Richards, while on the Governor's staff, served as administrative assistant, legal counsel and legislative liaison to the 63rd Session of the Texas Legislature. Also, in 1973, he was administrator of the Governor's Office of Traffic Safety. From October 1973 to July 1975, he served as legal counsel to the Governor and liaison to the Constitutional Convention and 64th Session of the Legislature. In 1978, he served as Governor Briscoe's appointments assistant.

Mr. Richards graduated from San Angelo High School in 1952, and received his B.B.A. and LL.B. degrees in 1960 from The University of Texas at Austin. While at the University, he was a member of Texas Cowboys, a service organization; Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity; and Phi Kappa Psi social fraternity.

He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, serving from 1956 to 1958.

His extensive legal career covers positions as briefing attorney for Texas Supreme Court Judges Rue1 Walker and James Norvell; association with Locke, Purnell, Boren, Laney & Neely, in Dallas, and partner in O'Brien and Richards, in Beaumont. He moved to Austin in the fall of 1980 to become a partner in the Austin office of Jenkens and Gilchrist, a Dallas-based law firm.

He has held office in or is currently a member of these professional organizations: Joint Advisory Committee on Governmental Operations, Texas Bar Association, Jefferson County Bar Association, Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, Central City Development Corporation (Beaumont), and U.T. Ex-Student's Association.

He is past president and director of the Jefferson County Junior Bar Association, and is past district director of the State Junior Bar. His father, C. K. Richards, deceased, was Associate Justice of the Third Court of Civil Appeals in Austin.

Mr. Richards, born in 1934, was married to the late Katherine Ross, who died in 1980. He has a daughter, Pamela, and a son, Kent. They are members of the Episcopal Church.

last updated April 1983