Richard Francis Newland

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Richard Francis Newland (died 1 August 1873) was a banker and politician in the colony of South Australia. He served as an acting non-official member of the Legislative Council from January to July 1847, taking the seat when John Morphett was away and succeeding Samuel Davenport.

Earlier, he had been manager of the Bank of Australasia's Sydney branch, and in January 1839 he became manager of the Adelaide branch. He resigned in 1843 and then took up a sheep station on the River Gilbert or the River Light, keeping about 12,000 sheep whose wool fetched record prices.

In 1850 he became Stipendiary and Special Magistrate at Port Adelaide, replacing G. F. Dashwood.

In 1860 he left Adelaide for England aboard the Young Australian. In England he worked as Assistant Emigration Officer from 1862 and was promoted to Emigration Officer in 1863, following Dashwood who had a similar post earlier. He gave evidence to a Royal Commission on moving troublesome convicts from Western Australia to South Australia and its effect on crime rates.

He died at the Rectory in Witnesham, near Ipswich, the home of his brother the Reverend Newland.

Lake Newland was named after him by his friend Edward John Eyre during Eyre's 1839 expeditions.

He married Eleanor Light on 14 December 1842; she died on 7 November 1851. They lived for some time at "The Grange," the former home of Captain Sturt.

The relationship, if any, to Simpson Newland (1835–1925) is not established. Simpson Newland was a Congregationalist and son of Rev. Ridgway William Newland, whereas Richard Francis Newland was Anglican and a brother of an Anglican clergyman.