John Roundell Palmer, 4th Earl of Selborne (24 March 1940 – 12 February 2021) was a British peer, ecological expert, and businessman. He was one of the hereditary peers elected to remain in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

after the enactment of the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given royal assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

, sitting as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

. He re-designated as non-affiliated in September 2019 and retired from the House on 26 March 2020.

Background and education

The son of Captain William Palmer, Viscount Wolmer (in turn son of

Roundell Palmer, 3rd Earl of Selborne Roundell Cecil Palmer, 3rd Earl of Selborne, CH, PC (15 April 1887 – 3 September 1971), known as "Top Wolmer" and styled Viscount Wolmer from 1895 to 1941, was a British administrator, intelligence officer and Conservative politician. Bac ...

, and the Honourable Grace Ridley), and Priscilla Egerton-Warburton, Lord Selborne succeeded to his grandfather's titles in 1971; this was because his father had been killed in 1942 during a training exercise while serving with the

Hampshire Regiment The Hampshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot. The re ...

. He was educated first at St. Ronan's School,

Hawkhurst Hawkhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The village is located close to the border with East Sussex, around south-east of Royal Tunbridge Wells and within the High Weald Area of Outstanding N ...

, and at Eton and

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 ...

, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1961, proceeding to complete a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

Career

Lord Selborne was treasurer of

King Edward's School, Witley King Edward's Witley is a private co-educational boarding and day school, founded in 1553 by King Edward VI and Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London and Westminster, in The Palace of Bridewell near Fleet St in the City of London. The School is loca ...

, between 1972 and 1983, and a member of the Apple and Pear Development Council between 1969 and 1973. He was chairman of the Hops Marketing Board from 1978 to 1982, of the

Agricultural and Food Research Council The Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) was a British Research Council responsible for funding and managing scientific and technological developments in farming and horticulture. History The AFRC was formed in 1983 from its predecessor ...

(AFRC) from 1982 to 1989, and of the

Joint Nature Conservation Committee The Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) is the public body that advises the Government of the United Kingdom and devolved administrations on UK-wide and international nature conservation. Originally established under the Environmental Pro ...

(JNCC) from 1991 to 1997. He was also a member of the NEDC Food Sector Group in 1991–1992, and a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution 1993 to 1998. He was a director of

Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a major British retail banking, retail and commercial bank with a significant presence across England and Wales. It has traditionally been regarded one of the "Big Four (banking)#England and Wales, Big Four" clearing house ...

from 1994 to 1995, and of its successor Lloyds TSB Group from 1995 to 2004. Selborne was president of the

Royal Agricultural Society of England The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) promotes the scientific development of English agriculture. It was established in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science" and was known as the English Agricultural Society until it received i ...

from 1987 to 1988, of the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene from 1991 to 1997 and of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

from 1997 to 2000. From 1996 to 2006, he was the chancellor of the

University of Southampton The University of Southampton (abbreviated as ''Soton'' in post-nominal letters) is a public university, public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universit ...

and between 2003 and 2009 he was chairman of the trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens in

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

. In 1989, he was

master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

of the

Worshipful Company of Mercers The Mercers' Company, or the Worshipful Company of Mercers, is a livery company of the City of London in the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. Mercer comes from the Latin for merch ...

. In 1991, he became a fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

. He was also a fellow of the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature collec ...

, vice-patron of the

Royal Entomological Society The Royal Entomological Society is a learned society devoted to the study of insects. It aims to disseminate information about insects and to improve communication between entomologists. The society was founded in 1833 as the Entomological S ...

, and patron of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. Selborne was appointed

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(KBE) in 1987 and Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the

2011 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2011 were announced on 31 December 2010 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: New Zealand,New Zealand"New Year Honours 2011"(14 January 2011) 2 '' New Zealand Gazette'' 55. The Cook IslandsThe Cook Islands: Grenada,Grenada: ...

for services to science.

Personal life

In 1969 he married Joanna van Antwerp James. They had four children: * William Lewis Palmer, 5th Earl of Selborne (born 1 September 1971) *Hon. George Horsley Palmer (twin of Luke, born 12 March 1974) *Hon. Luke James Palmer (twin of George, born 12 March 1974) *Lady Emily Sophia Palmer (born 27 April 1978) He died in February 2021 at the age of 80.THE FOUNDATION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
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Arms

References

External links

*
The Earl of Selborne John Palmer speaking at the funeral of Harry Dodson, television presenter of The Victorian Kitchen Garden series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Selborne, John Palmer, 4th Earl of 1940 births 2021 deaths Place of birth missing Place of death missing Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Chancellors of the University of Southampton Conservative Party (UK) hereditary peers Deputy lieutenants of Hampshire 4 Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Palmer, John Roundell Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

People educated at Eton College Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society Hereditary peers elected under the House of Lords Act 1999 Peers retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014