John Richardson

John Richardson (6 June 1896 – 3 June 1978) was an Indian Anglican bishop and politician.

Childhood and youth Richardson was born into a Car Nicobarese family and named Ha Chev Ka.

He served as Honorary Tehsildar between 1925 and 1945.

Second World War During the Japanese occupation of the Andaman and Nicobar islands, Richardson emerged as the foremost leader of the Nicobarese community. Two of his sons were killed. In the midst of the war, Richardson married a second time on 6 May 1943. At the time he was the sole Anglican bishop to have served as member of the lower house of a national parliament. Richardson died on 3 June 1978.

Legacy After his death, his church became a point of pilgrimage. The local population erected a statue of him. In February 1985 President Zail Singh paid his respect to Richardson during a visit to the islands, as did Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi during a visit in January 1987.

Richardson's statue and church were badly damaged in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. One of Richardson's sons and one of his grandsons died in the tsunami.

There is a hospital on Car Nicobar named 'Bishop John Richardson District Hospital'.

Richardson's wife Ethel died on 28 January 2016 at the age of 105 years and 192 days