RICHARD FORD

Little is known about Dr. Richard Ford other than that he was a British subject who practiced in Honolulu in the 1840s. He was born circa 1795.

From a few letters on file in the Territorial Archives we get a brief glimpse into the life of the doctor. Not unlike his present day colleagues, Dr. Ford had difficulty collecting some of his accounts, one of which was with His Majesty, Kamehameha III. In a letter written April 13, 1843, he requests the Lord Paulet and the British commission to investigate the non-payment of a bill for $12.62 and states, "I am a poor man, as far as regards Cash! On May 29th. of the same year, he solicits an appointment as surgeon of the fort in an effort to relieve the financial strain.

That Dr. Ford was not unsympathetic to the troubles of others is shown by two letters written in March, 1834 on behalf of men who had had their land seized by the government. And again the doctor penned a petition for Au Fong Sam requesting a license "for victuling and retailing spiritous liquors".

In "The Polynesian" of January 25, 1845, Dr. Ford ran a business card stating:

Richard Ford
Conveyancer and Attorney
In His Majesty's Courts of Law

On the strength of the above, it would appear that the doctor was not confining his activities to the field of medicine alone.

Dr. Ford died in Honolulu on May 1, 1847 at the age of 52. Both "The Polynesian" and "The Sandwich Island News" announced his death but gave no details.

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