London-native Edward Richardson was a member of the gymnasium at the Northampton Institute in Islington in the late 1890s and 1900s, along with his two siblings Frederick and Violet. In 1899 and 1900, he was the winner of the German Gymnastics Clubs’ Open Competitions, and was a regular participant in the Metropolitan and Southern Counties Amateur Gymnastics Association championships, along with his siblings. In 1908, Richardson was selected as a member of the British gymnastics squad to compete at the Olympic Games, alongside fellow Northampton gymnast W. Manning. Participating in the team event, the Great Britain team finished in last place out of eight countries. Richardson later was a businessman by career.
Great Britain