Douglas Charles Richardson was born in Sacramento, California, to Wayne H. Richardson and Joan Elizabeth Kercheval. He is a professional genealogist, author, and historian based in Salt Lake City, Utah. In his over 40-year career, he has earned a reputation for a creative research approach that "solves the unsolvable." Mr. Richardson holds a B.A. in History from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He formerly taught American History at Oklahoma's El Reno Junior College and Hillsdale Free Will Baptist College. 

As an expert in medieval English gentry, European royalty, and American lineages from colonial to modern eras, Mr. Richardson has authored foundational reference books: Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, and Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial & Medieval Families. He was a Contributing Editor for The American Genealogist and has published extensively in major journals, including The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Heritage Quest Magazine, and Foundations. He is a former member of the Santa Barbara and Connecticut genealogical societies.