Arthur Frederick Richards, 1st Baron Milverton (21 February 1885 – 27 October 1978), was a British colonial administrator who over his career served as Governor of
North Borneo
North Borneo (usually known as British North Borneo, also known as the State of North Borneo) was a British Protectorate, British protectorate in the northern part of the island of Borneo, (present-day Sabah). The territory of North Borneo wa ...
,
Gambia
The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...
,
Fiji
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
,
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
, and
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
.
Early life and education
Richards was born in
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
in 1885, the son of William Richards. He was educated at
Clifton College
Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...
in Bristol, and graduated from
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...
, in 1907 with a BA.
Colonial service
Richards entered the Malayan Civil Service in 1908. By 1921, he had become the Acting 1st Assistant Colonial Secretary for the
Straits Settlements
The Straits Settlements () were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Company, the Straits Settlements came under control of the ...
. He served as Acting Under-Secretary of the
Federated Malay States
The Federated Malay States (FMS, , Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of four protectorate, protected states in the Malay Peninsula — Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang — established in 1895 by the British government, and whi ...
in 1926, and became full Under-Secretary from 1927 to 1929. He was the Acting General Advisor in
Johor
Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...
e between 1929 and 1920, and from 1930 to 1933 he served as the governor of Northern Borneo. Following this, he served as
Governor of the Gambia from 1933 to 1936.
He served as
Governor of Fiji
Fiji was a British Crown colony from 1874 to 1970, and an independent dominion in the Commonwealth from 1970 to 1987. During this period, the head of state was the British monarch, but in practice the functions of the crown were normally exercis ...
from 1936 to 1938, holding this office concurrently with the position of
High Commissioner of the Western Pacific. From 1938 to 1943, he served as
Governor of Jamaica
This is a list of viceroys in Jamaica from its initial occupation by Spain in 1509, to its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. For a list of viceroys after independence, see Governor-General of Jamaica. For context, see History of Jama ...
. From 1943 to 1948, he served as
Governor of Nigeria
The governor-general of Nigeria was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom in Colonial Nigeria from 1954 to 1960, and after Nigerian independence in 1960, the representative of the Nigerian head of state.
The office was created ...
.
He was known in the Colonial Service as 'Old Sinister'. He became the first Colonial Office official to be raised to the peerage while still in office. In 1986, his former private secretary in Nigeria, Richard Peel, published a memoir of Richards, titled ''Old Sinister: A Memoir of Sir Arthur Richards''.
Politics
In the House of Lords Milverton sat for the
Labour Party until 1949 when, objecting to Labour's nationalisation plans, he joined the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world.
The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...
. Soon after that he joined the
Conservative Party.
Honours
He was made a
CMG in 1933, elevated to KCMG in 1935, and again to GCMG in 1942. In 1947 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Milverton, of Lagos and of
Clifton in the
City of Bristol
Bristol () is a cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north ...
. He was also appointed as
K.St.J., and was awarded the US
Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...
with Silver Palm.
Family
In 1927, Richards married Noelle Bënda Whitehead (18 December 1904 – 11 September 2010),
daughter of Charles Basil Whitehead. He died in October 1978, aged 93, and was succeeded in the Barony by his eldest son, the Revd Fraser Arthur Richard Richards. The Second Baron Milverton died in August 2023 and was succeeded in the title by his brother, Michael Hugh Richards (born 1 August 1936), Third Baron Milverton.
Arms
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Milverton, Arthur Richards, 1st Baron
1885 births
1978 deaths
Civil servants from Bristol
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Governors of Fiji
Governors of Jamaica
British governors and governors-general of Nigeria
People educated at Clifton College
Governors of the Gambia
High commissioners for the Western Pacific
Governors of North Borneo
Place of birth missing
Place of death missing
Barons created by George VI
Malayan Civil Service officers
Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Labour Party (UK) hereditary peers
Liberal Party (UK) hereditary peers
Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers