Richmond Palmer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sir Richmond Palmer KCMG CBE
Lieutenant Governor of Northern Nigeria
In office 11 September 1925 – 12 April 1930
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Stanley Baldwin Ramsay MacDonald
Preceded by	William Frederick Gowers
Succeeded by	Cyril Wilson Alexander
Governor of the Gambia
In office 11 September 1930 – 12 April 1934
Monarch	George V
Prime Minister	Ramsay MacDonald
Preceded by	Edward Brandis Denham
Succeeded by	Arthur Richards, 1st Baron Milverton
Governor of Cyprus
In office 8 November 1933 – 4 July 1938
Monarch	George V Edward VIII George VI
Prime Minister	Ramsay MacDonald Stanley Baldwin Neville Chamberlain
Preceded by	Reginald Edward Stubbs
Succeeded by	William Denis Battershill
Personal details
Born	(1877-04-25)25 April 1877 Lancaster, England, United Kingdom
Died	22 May 1958(1958-05-22) (aged 81)
Spouses	Margaret Isabel Smith, married 7 June 1924, two children

Sir Herbert Richmond Palmer (born April 25, 1877 – died May 22, 1958) was an English lawyer. He worked for the British government in different countries. He served as a leader in Nigeria, The Gambia, and Cyprus during the time between the two World Wars.

Early Life and Education

Herbert Richmond Palmer was born in 1877 in Lancaster, England. His father, Robert Palmer, was a clergyman. His mother, Mary Chippendall, came from a family with a history of public service. Her great-grandmother was the governor of Lancaster Castle.

Palmer went to Oundle School in Northamptonshire. He was known as a very good batsman in cricket. In 1896, he went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge to study Classics. He earned his first degree in 1899 and a law degree a year later.

Sports and Travel

While at Cambridge, Palmer played rugby for Cambridge University. He was awarded a "Blue," which means he was a top athlete for the university. He also joined "The Barbarians," a famous invitational rugby team.

In 1903, he traveled to San Francisco, California. He worked as a stoker on a ship to pay for his journey. He wanted to explore opportunities in gold mining there.

Palmer became a lawyer on June 15, 1904. He was part of the Middle Temple, a professional association for barristers. He later earned a Master of Arts degree in 1910.

Colonial Service in Africa and Cyprus

Sir Richmond Palmer spent most of his career working for the British government in different colonies. He was known for his deep understanding of local cultures and languages.

Leading in Nigeria

Palmer's first job was in Nigeria in 1904. He worked under Frederick Lugard, who was a very important British official. Palmer's early work included trying to end slavery in the northern parts of Nigeria.

In 1905, Palmer became a "Resident" in Katsina. This meant he was a British official overseeing the local government. He reorganized the districts, creating 19 new ones. Each new district had a local leader who reported to the Emir (a traditional ruler). Palmer helped install Muhammadu Dikko as Emir of Katsina in 1906. This showed Palmer's support for "Indirect Rule," a system where Britain governed through local leaders.

Palmer was a key official who helped guide the Northern Nigerian Emirates around 1910. He became Commissioner of Native Revenue in the north by 1911. His plans for the region were approved by Lugard.

When Lugard returned to Nigeria in 1912, his main goal was to combine the northern and southern parts into one colony. This was a big change, but it was mostly accepted outside of Lagos. From 1914 to 1919, Lugard was the Governor General of the combined Colony of Nigeria.

Palmer served as Resident of Kano Province from 1915 to 1916. In 1917, he was promoted to Resident of Bornu Province. He worked to keep good relationships with the Sokoto Caliphate and the Sultan of Sokoto. He strongly believed in Indirect Rule, which helped increase the power of traditional Muslim leaders. Palmer even disagreed with the governor, Sir Hugh Clifford, by opposing Christian missionaries in Borno.

During World War I, senior officials in Northern Nigeria had very tough jobs. Many troops were sent to East Africa, which weakened the local defenses. Palmer carefully thought about how the war affected the Muslim provinces.

Palmer was a great scholar of African culture, languages, and literature. He became an expert in the languages and history of the Hausa and Fulani people.

He was very interested in improving education. In 1918, he made a difficult journey across Central Africa to the Sudan. He visited the Gordon Memorial College in Khartoum to learn about Muslim education. This trip led to the opening of a training college for Muslim teachers in Katsina in 1922.

Palmer became the acting Lieutenant Governor of Northern Nigeria in 1921. He was officially given the job in 1925, based in Kaduna.

Sir Richmond Palmer at Government House, Kaduna 1926

People described him as a very capable administrator. He was known locally as "Judgey" because he was the highest legal authority.

During his time, efforts were made to develop cotton and ground-nut farming. Work also began on a project to use the Kaduna River for the town's water supply. New hospitals were built in Enugu, Jos, and Kano. Palmer also made the first motor journey from Lagos to Lake Chad in 1926.

Palmer spent 26 years in Northern Nigeria. In his free time, he studied the history of the ruling groups like the Fulbe and Kanuri. He wrote about his findings in books like Sudanese Memoirs (1928) and The Bornu Sahara and Sudan (1936).

In 1929, Palmer argued for local control over spending in the Northern Provinces. He believed local leaders should decide how money was used. However, he could not convince the Governor or the Secretary of State. This disagreement might have led to his move to The Gambia. His departure from Nigeria was announced in February 1930.

Governing The Gambia

In September 1930, Palmer became the governor and Commander-in-Chief of The Gambia. This colony was much smaller than Nigeria. In 1931, he had to deal with a serious outbreak of cattle diseases like rinderpest.

In 1932, he improved how the Protectorate was managed. He set up permanent administrative offices in each of the four provinces. This made the government more continuous throughout the year. Palmer also donated a small collection of ancient artifacts from stone circles in The Gambia to the British Museum.

He left Africa on April 12, 1933.

Leading in Cyprus

On November 8, 1933, Palmer became the governor and Commander-in-Chief of Cyprus. Britain had taken over Cyprus during World War I. In 1925, it became a British Crown Colony. In 1931, there were serious riots by Greek Cypriots. They wanted to unite with Greece. The Government House in Nicosia had even been burned down.

Palmer also arrived during a two-year drought. This drought caused famine, destroyed crops and livestock, and made people's debts worse.

So, Palmer had to govern Cyprus during a very difficult time. Cypriots wanted to rule themselves. One problem was that British officials often did not learn Greek or Turkish, the local languages. This meant they didn't understand the people well. Palmer insisted that officials learn these languages.

His rule in Cyprus was very strict. People in Cyprus called his leadership style "Palmerist dictatorship."

He finished a project to improve the port of Famagusta. This work started in 1931 and was completed in 1935. The new harbor could now hold much larger ships, from 2,000 tons to 8,000 or 9,000 tons.

He retired on July 4, 1939.

Awards and Recognition

Sir Richmond Palmer received several honors during his career:

• He was appointed C.M.G (Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George) in 1922.
• He was appointed C.B.E (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 1924.
• He was appointed K.C.M.G (Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George) in 1933.
• He was also made a Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of Saint John in 1936.

Later Life and Family

After retiring, Palmer returned to Langham House in Oakham, England. In July 1940, his family moved to the United States for safety. He then moved to Keswick to practice law and provide legal help.

He wrote many books and articles about his experiences in Africa during his retirement.

Family Life

Margaret Isabel Smith

Sir Richmond Palmer married Margaret Isabel Smith on June 7, 1924. The wedding took place at St Michael and All Angels church in Waterford. Margaret was the daughter of Reginald Abel Smith and Hon. Margaret Alice Holland.

They had two daughters. Their elder daughter, Jenifer, married Edward Anthony Watson Bullock. Their younger daughter, Virginia, married Sir Paul Studholme.