Born in 1869 Sir John Ritchie Richmond was the son of Mary Douglas and John Richmond who died when he was 2 years old.

His mother then married James Weir, the founder of G&J Weir the Glasgow based engineering giant, who adopted John. Allegedly it was his mother's money that gave Weir the capital to establish his company.

Sir John's grand uncle was Peter Ritchie a bonnet manufacturer from Kilmarnock who had the contract to supply the British Army with Balmoral Bonnets. Peter Ritchie regarded his nephew as heir.

Richmond was a man of letters and an avid art collector. That he edited and prefaced a volume 'Poetical Works of Thomas Chatterton' when he was only 16 gives a clue to his character. Having intended to pursue a literary career, Richmond nevertheless abandoned his studies in the Arts at Glasgow University to join his stepfather's firm, to later become senior deputy chairman. However his heart lay with the fine arts and to satisfy his passion he built up a fine collection of paintings by Scottish artists and nineteenth and twentieth century French artists, including works by Monet, Pissarro, Degas, D Y Cameron and William Russell Flint.

Others with whom Sir John corresponded were:

  • William Michael Rossetti, one the founder members of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood;

  • Hilaire Belloc, the Anglo-French writer, orator, poet. satirist, man of letters, and political activist;

  • Arnold Bennett, the English novelist and journalist

  • Neil Munro, the Scottish journalist, newspaper editor, literary critic and author of Para Handy;

  • Robert Macaulay Stevenson. the Scottish painter and one of the Glasgow Boys.

Sir John became an important figure in Glasgow society, attending events such as the launch of the liner Lusitania. He was chosen to be Honorary President of the Glasgow School of Art and selected to be a member of the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland.

The University of Glasgow made him an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1945 which Richmond repaid with an endowment founding the Richmond Chair of Fine Art in 1965. Ultimately Richmond gifted his impressive collection of paintings to the National Gallery of Scotland and to Glasgow Museums, while his papers can be found in the National library of Scotland.