Richard Lander

Born in Truro, Cornwall, on February 8, 1804, Richard Lemon Lander became a British explorer at a remarkably young age. He first gained notice as the servant and later companion of explorer Hugh Clapperton on an expedition to West Africa, and after Clapperton died, Lander made the difficult journey back to the coast with his papers.

Lander is best remembered for the expedition he made with his brother John in 1830–1831. Together they followed the course of the Niger River and showed that it emptied into the Atlantic through its delta, settling a long-running mystery in European geography. He later published accounts of these journeys, helping bring his experiences to a wider audience.

His final expedition to West Africa ended in tragedy. He was wounded during an attack on the Niger in 1834 and died soon afterward on Fernando Po, now Bioko in Equatorial Guinea, on February 6, 1834. Though his life was short, his travels made him an important figure in the history of African exploration.