Richard Allmond Jeffrey Goode, C.M.G., C.B.E. was a senior colonial administrator who served as Chief Secretary to the Government of Northern Rhodesia. His career in the Colonial Service was marked by long experience in administrative posts and recognition through high honours.
Goode’s tenure as Chief Secretary placed him at the centre of the colony’s administration, acting as principal adviser to the Governor and overseeing the civil service. The Chief Secretary was the second‑highest office in the colony, responsible for continuity of government and coordination of departments. Goode’s role was particularly important during the late 1940s and early 1950s, when Northern Rhodesia was experiencing economic expansion and increasing political activity among African organisations.
In addition to his civil service career, Goode also served as a Rifleman in the Northern Rhodesia Rifles, reflecting the close connection between colonial administrators and the colony’s defence forces. His military service underscored his commitment to the territory and its security.
He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), reflecting his distinguished service. His career exemplified the professional cadre of colonial administrators who maintained the machinery of government in Britain’s African territories.
On 10 October 1904 Goode married Mary Agnes Codrington, daughter of civil engineer Thomas Codrington and Elizabeth Emily Codrington. Their marriage linked two prominent colonial families and produced children whose lives reflected the breadth of Britain’s imperial service. The eldest, Sir William Allmond Codrington Goode (1907–1986), survived captivity on the Burma railway during the Second World War and went on to a distinguished career in the East, serving in the Malayan Civil Service, becoming the last British Governor of Singapore, the first Yang di‑Pertuan Negara of Singapore, and later Governor of North Borneo and Brunei. The Codrington connection underscored the wider professional networks that bound together Britain’s colonial service families.
Richard Allmond Jeffrey Goode died of congestive cardiac failure, closing a career remembered for its administrative competence, military service, and dedication to Northern Rhodesia.
Picture: Richard Allmond Jeffrey Goode, Chief Secretary of Northern Rhodesia.
