Richard Driver
Australian solicitor, politician and cricket administrator
About Richard Driver
Lived 1829 – 1880 (aged 50). Richard Driver was an Australian cricketer, politician and solicitor.
Richard Driver (junior) (16 September 1829 – 8 July 1880) was a Sydney solicitor, politician and cricket administrator.
Driver was born in Cabramatta, New South Wales, son of Richard Driver, hotel-keeper, and his wife Elizabeth, née Powell. In 1859, he became a solicitor for the Sydney City Council and also carried out a practice in the Sydney police court.
Driver unsuccessfully contested three seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly in 1858 and was defeated again for East Sydney in 1859, but won West Macquarie in 1860 and held it to 1869. He was the member for Carcoar from 1869 to 1872 and Windsor from 1872 to his death in 1880. He generally supported Henry Parkes, but turned down an offer of to be made minister of mines in 1872. He became Secretary for Lands in Parkes' 1877 government and as a cricket lover he provided £700 for improvements to the Sydney Cricket Ground and vested the ground in trustees in 1879, including himself as the representative of the New South Wales Cricket Association. It was his only match for New South Wales. He umpired four of New South Wales' first-class matches between 1857 and 1877. From 1860 to 1880 he was an important organiser of visits by English cricket teams and intercolonial matches. He was president of the New South Wales Cricket Association from 1870 to 1880.
In 1865 Driver was the inaugural president of Sydney's first ever football club, the Sydney FC (Australian rules football).
In 1871 Driver married Elizabeth Margaret Marlow. He died in the Sydney suburb of Randwick in July 1880 and is buried at Waverley Cemetery.
The road situated along the eastern boundary of the Moore Park fields and the western side of the Sydney Cricket Ground and Sydney Football Stadium is named Driver Avenue in his honour.
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Important facts
People in Richard Driver's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Richard Driver's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Richard Driver?
Australian solicitor, politician and cricket administrator (1829-1880)
When was Richard Driver born?
Richard Driver was born on 16 September 1829 in Cabramatta.
When did Richard Driver die?
Richard Driver died on 7 July 1880 in Randwick.
What was Richard Driver's occupation?
Richard Driver was a cricketer, politician and solicitor.
What nationality was Richard Driver?
Richard Driver was Australian.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Richard Driver. https://biography.guide/richard-driver/
MLA: "Richard Driver." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/richard-driver/.
Chicago: "Richard Driver." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/richard-driver/.
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