William Shaw Richardson (December 22, 1919 – June 21, 2010) was an American attorney, political figure, and chief justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court from 1966 to 1982. Prior to his service as the top jurist in Hawaii, Richardson was lieutenant governor under John A. Burns. Previous to that tenure from 1956 to 1962 he was chairman of the Democratic Party of Hawaii. Early years Richardson was born in Honolulu and was the son of Wilfred Kelelani Kānekoa Alapaʻi Richardson and Amy Lan Kyau Wung. He was of Chinese, Native Hawaiian, and Euro-American ancestry. His grandfather Colonel John Keone Likikine Richardson was a leading supporter of Queen Liliuokalani and the opposition to the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Richardson referred to himself as "just a local boy from Hawaii." He was a graduate of Roosevelt High School, University of Hawaii at Manoa, and University of Cincinnati College of Law. Richardson served in World War II with the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment as a platoon leader with a rank of Captain in the U.S. Army. After returning to Hawaii, he continued his military service in the Judge Advocate General Corps. Political career Richardson was the Chief Clerk for the Senate of the Territory of Hawaii during the 1955 and 1957 terms. He chaired the Democratic Party of Hawaii from 1956 until 1962 and oversaw its transition from a territorial to a state party. Richardson attended the 1956 and 1960 Democratic National Conventions as a delegate representing Hawaii. In 1962, he successfully ran for Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii as a Democrat. At the end of serving a single term, Governor John A. Burns nominated Richardson as the 16th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii. The Senate confirmed him, and Richardson served as the chief justice from the end of 1966 until 1982. Controversies Richardson's tenure as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii was marked by landmark decisions that recognized the precedent of the state's unique cultural and legal history; specifically the public's interests in the environment, and the rights of the indigenous Hawaiian people. Under Richardson, the court held that the public's interest in the natural environment may limit or prohibit commercial development of sensitive areas, particularly coastlines and beaches; that the public has right to access Hawaii's beaches, and that land created by lava flows belonged to the state, not to nearby property owners. Richardson