Leicester Paul Beaufort (13 December 1853 – 12 August 1926) was a British barrister and colonial governor, remembered for his service in British North Borneo and his later retirement in Northern Rhodesia. He was the second son of Rev. Daniel Augustus Beaufort and Emily Newel Davis, daughter of Sir John Davis, Governor of Hong Kong. His paternal grandfather was Rear Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, creator of the Beaufort Scale.
Educated at Westminster School and Oxford, Beaufort qualified as MA and BCL before being called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1879. He entered colonial service in 1889 as Judicial Commissioner and Government Secretary in British North Borneo. In 1895 he was appointed Governor of North Borneo, serving until 1899. His administration oversaw law, order, and relations with indigenous communities during a period of expansion under the Chartered Company.
After retiring from North Borneo, Beaufort settled in Livingstone, Northern Rhodesia, where he remained active in colonial society. His correspondence with the British South Africa Company is preserved in archives, reflecting his continued interest in imperial affairs. He died in 1926 at the age of 72.
Beaufort married Edith Mary. Their daughter Monica Gertrude Alice Beaufort served as a nurse in the South African Military Nursing Service and tragically died of influenza in 1918 while on active service. His family connections linked him to both the Davis and Beaufort dynasties, reinforcing his place in imperial history.
Picture: Leicester Paul Beaufort, Governor of North Borneo (1895–1899), later resident in Northern Rhodesia. Portrait courtesy of the Westminster School Archive.
