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Sir Leander Starr Jameson, Bt ( February 9, 1853 - November 26, 1917), also known as "Doctor Jim", was a British colonial statesman who was best known for his involvement in the Jameson Raid.

He was born of the Jameson family of Edinburgh, the son of R. W. Jameson, a writer to the signet, and Christian Pringle, daughter of General Pringle of Symington. Robert William and Christian Jameson had twelve children, of whom Leander Starr was the youngest, born at Stranraer on the West Coast of Scotland, great-grand nephew of Professor Robert Jameson, Regius Professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh.

Leander Starr's somewhat unusual name resulted from the fact that his father William had been rescued from drowning on the morning of his birth by an American traveller, who fished him out of a canal or river with steep banks into which William had fallen while on a walk awaiting the birth of his son. The kindly stranger named "Leander Starr" was promptly made a godfather of the baby, who was named after him.

Leander Starr was educated for the medical profession at University College Hospital, London (M.R.C.S. 1875; M.D. 1877). After acting as house physician, house surgeon and demonstrator of anatomy, and showing promise of a successful professional career in London, his health broke down from overwork in 1878, and he went out to South Africa and settled down in practice at Kimberley. There he rapidly acquired a great reputation as a medical man, and, besides numbering President Kruger and the MatabeleThe Matabele are a branch of the Zulus who escaped from King Shaka under the leadership of Mzilikazi, a former general in Shaka's army. They are now more commonly known as the Ndebele. First they moved westwards wreaking havoc in a period of African histo chief LobengulaLobengula (d. 1894) was the second and last king of the Matabele people, now known as the Ndebele (or, linguistically more correctly, the nDebele). Both names, in the sinDebele language, mean "The people of the long shields," a reference to the Matabele w among his patients, came much into contact with Cecil RhodesCecil John Rhodes ( July 5, 1853 March 26, 1902) was a British imperialist and the effective founder of the state of Rhodesia (since 1980 known as Zimbabwe), named after himself. He profited greatly from southern Africa's natural resources. Rhodes was bor. In 1888 his influence with Lobengula was successfully exerted to induce that chieftain to grant the concessions to the agents of Rhodes which led to the formation of the British South Africa CompanyThe British South Africa Company (BSAC) was established by Cecil Rhodes, receiving a royal charter in 1889. Modeling it on the British East India Company, he hoped it would enable colonisation and economic exploitation in southern Africa, as part of the S; and when the company proceeded to open up Mashonaland , Jameson abandoned his medical practice and joined the pioneer expedition of 1890Events January 2 Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer for the U. White House. January 25 The United Mine Workers of America is founded. January 25 Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days. March 1 Leon Bourgeois succeeds Ernest. From this time his fortunes were bound up with Rhodes' schemes in the north. Immediately after the pioneer column had occupied Mashonaland, Jameson, with F. C. Selous and A. R. Colquhoun, went east to ManicalandManicaland is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 36,459 km2 and a population of approximately 1. 6 million (2002). Mutare is the capital of the province. The name derives from the fact that the area has been occupied in recent history by the Manyik and was instrumental in securing the greater part of that country, to which PortugalRepublica Portuguesa ( In Detail) National motto: None Official language Portuguese 3 Capital Lisbon President Jorge Sampaio Prime Minister Pedro Santana Lopes Area Total % water World ranking: 109th 92,391 km²0. 5 % Population Total ( 2004) Density World was laying claim, for the Chartered Company. In 1891 Jameson succeeded Colquhoun as administrator of Rhodesia.

In 1895 Jameson assembled a private army outside the TransvaalThe Transvaal was one of the provinces of South Africa from 1910 until 1994. The province no longer exists, and its territory now forms all, or part of, the provinces of Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga. History The Transvaal region is known to in preparation for the violent overthrow of the Boer government. The idea was to foment unrest among foreign workers (Uitlanders) in the territory, and use the outbreak of open revolt as an excuse to invade and annex the territory. Growing impatient, Jameson launched the Jameson Raid in October of 1895, and managed to push within twenty miles of Johannesburg before superior Boer forces compelled him and his men to surrender. Jameson was tried in England for leading the raid; during which time he was lionized by the press and London society. He was sentenced to fifteen months in jail, but soon pardoned. He was Prime Minister of the Cape Colony from 1904 to 1908. He was created a baronet in 1911 and returned to England in 1912.

According to a number of sources, Rudyard Kipling's famous poem 'If' was written in celebration of Leander Starr Jameson's personal qualities at overcoming the difficulties of the Raid, for which he largely took the blame, though Joseph Chamberlain, British colonial secretary of the day, was, according to some historians, implicated in the events of the raid. Jameson is buried in Zimbabwe at Malindidzimu Hill or World's View , granite hill, in SW Zimbabwe, 25 miles (40 km) S of Bulawayo. It was designated by Cecil Rhodes as the resting place for those who served Great Britain well in Africa. Rhodes and Sir Leander Starr Jameson are both buried there.

This article incorporates text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. 1911 Britannica