Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Doherty ( O'Dogherty; 1785 – 2 September 1862) was an Irish colonial administrator and a British Army officer who served as

Governor of Sierra Leone This is a list of colonial administrators in Sierra Leone from the establishment of the Cline Town, Sierra Leone, Province of Freedom Colony by the Committee for the Relief of the Black Poor which lasted between 1787 and 1789 and the list of colo ...

Biography

Born Richard O'Dogherty in 1785 into an Irish Catholic family at Garculea House in Coolmoyne, near

Golden Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named afte ...

. He was the eldest of four sons born to Leonard O'Dogherty and his wife, Anne, daughter of Roger Scully of Cashel. He entered the army in 1802. His brother, Theobald O'Dogherty, had a distinguished career with the Royal Marines, but he never received the promotions he deserved because of his Irish Catholic background. To advance his career, Richard elected to convert to Protestantism and change the spelling of his surname—from O'Dogherty to the more Anglo Doherty. He was rewarded with a promotions, followed by a knighthood in 1841. He was Governor of Sierra Leone from 13 June 1837 to 16 December 1840. He was succeeded as governor in 1840 by Sir John Jeremie and knighted in 1841. He was Commander in Chief of Jamaica in 1853. He was colonel of the 11th (North Devonshire) Regiment from 1857 until his death in 1862 in

Richmond, Surrey Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commiss ...

. In 1845, he married widow Rachel Sophia Munro (''née'' Ludford), who was the daughter of physician Jonathan Anderson Ludford of Jamaica.

References

Knights Bachelor Devonshire Regiment officers Governors of Sierra Leone 1785 births 1862 deaths Date of birth missing People from Golden, County Tipperary Converts to Anglicanism from Roman Catholicism Military personnel from County Tipperary British Army lieutenant generals {{SierraLeone-politician-stub