Boards of many Trinidad and Tobago companies including that of the state-owned oil company, Trintoc (now Petrotrin), the National Gas Company and the Trinidad Publishing Company. Presidency Although the position of president is a primarily ceremonial one, Richards had been outspoken in his criticism of the upsurge of crime in Trinidad and Tobago. He was also well known for his involvement in Carnival. He was the first President of the Republic who was not an attorney. Richards was re-elected to a second five-year term as president by the Electoral College on 11 February 2008. He was the only candidate, and the Electoral College met for only three minutes. In May 2009, Richards faced calls to resign for bungling the appointment of the Trinidad and Tobago Integrity Commission, whose members all resigned for various reasons within a week of being sworn in on 1 May 2009, even as Richards embarked on a three-week foreign vacation. In a televised address to the nation on 29 May 2009, he said he had not brought his office into disrepute and so saw no reason to resign. He remained in office until 2013. Other activities Richards also served on the board of the Trinidad Publishing Company, TRINTOC, and the National Gas Company. He also served on the boards of several service organizations such as Chairman of both the National Training Board and National Advisory Council and the Institute of Marine Affairs. Personal life and death He was married to Jean Ramjohn, an anesthesiologist and cousin of the former President Noor Hassanali. They had two children: a son, Mark, who is also a medical doctor; and a daughter, Maxine, who is a businesswoman. Richards died at WestShore Medical Private Hospital in Port of Spain at around 7.43pm, on 8 January 2018 of heart failure at the age of 86. His ashes were scattered over the seas of the Gulf of Paria on the night of January 19th, 2018 and the Richards family said their final farewell to their husband, father, brother, and uncle as well as the nation's fourth president. Honors In 1977, Richards received the Chaconia Medal of the National Order of the Trinity, Class 1 Gold (the Chaconia Medal, Gold) for his contributions to Trinidad and Tobago. Richards also received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2007. References 1931 births 2018 deaths Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Manchester