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The Lord Milverton
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| Governor of North Borneo | |
| In office 1930–1933 | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Preceded by | Sir John Humphreys |
| Succeeded by | Sir Douglas Jardine |
| Governor of Gambia | |
| In office 12 April 1933 – 22 October 1936 | |
| Monarchs | George V Edward VIII |
| Preceded by | Sir Herbert Palmer |
| Succeeded by | Sir Thomas Southorn |
| High Commissioner for the Western Pacific | |
| In office 28 November 1936 – August 1938 | |
| Monarchs | Edward VIII George VI |
| Preceded by | Sir Cecil Barton (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Sir Cecil Barton (acting) |
| Governor of Fiji | |
| In office 28 November 1936 – August 1938 | |
| Monarch | George VI |
| Preceded by | Sir Cecil Barton (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Sir Cecil Barton (acting) |
| Governor of Jamaica | |
| In office 19 August 1938 – July 1943 | |
| Monarch | George VI |
| Preceded by | Charles Campbell Woolley (acting) |
| Succeeded by | William Henry Flinn (acting) |
| Governor of Nigeria | |
| In office 1943 – 5 February 1948 | |
| Monarch | George VI |
| Preceded by | Sir Bernard Bourdillon |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Macpherson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 February 1885 Bedminster, Bristol, England |
| Died | 27 October 1978(1978-10-27) (aged 93) Cox Green, Berkshire, England |
| Spouse | Noelle Bënda Whitehead (m. 1927–1978; his death) |
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Arthur Frederick Richards, 1st Baron Milverton GCMG (21 February 1885 – 27 October 1978), was a British colonial administrator who over his career served as Governor of North Borneo, Gambia, Fiji, Jamaica, and Nigeria.
Richards was born in Bristol in 1885, the son of William Richards. He was educated at Clifton College in Bristol,[1] and graduated from Christ Church, Oxford, in 1907 with a BA.
Richards entered the Malayan Civil Service in 1908. By 1921, he had become the Acting 1st Assistant Colonial Secretary for the Straits Settlements. He served as Acting Under-Secretary of the Federated Malay States in 1926, and became full Under-Secretary from 1927 to 1929. He was the Acting General Advisor in Johore 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 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. From 1943 to 1948, he served as Governor of Nigeria.
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.[2]
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. Soon after that he joined the Conservative Party.[3]
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.[4] He was also appointed as K.St.J., and was awarded the US Medal of Freedom with Silver Palm.
In 1927, Richards married Noelle Bënda Whitehead (18 December 1904 – 11 September 2010),[5] 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.
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| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Governor of North Borneo 1930–1933 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of The Gambia 1934–1936 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | High Commissioner for the Western Pacific 1936–1938 |
Succeeded by |
| Governor of Fiji 1936–1938 | ||
| Preceded by Charles Campbell Woolley, acting |
Governor of Jamaica 1938–1943 |
Succeeded by William Henry Flinn, acting |
| Preceded by | Governor of Nigeria 1943–1948 |
Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Milverton 1947–1978 |
Succeeded by |
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| Commandants of St Mary's Island (1816–1830) |
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| Lieutenant Governors of the Gambia (1829–1843) |
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| Governors of the Gambia (1843–1866) |
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| Administrators of the Gambia (1866–1901) |
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| Governors of the Gambia (1901–1965) |
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| National |
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