Henry Spencer Palmer

Henry Spencer Palmer
Henry Spencer Palmer
Born	30 April 1838 Bangalore, British India
Died	10 February 1893(1893-02-10) (aged 54) Tokyo, Japan
Nationality	British
Occupation	engineer, surveyor, foreign advisor to Japan
Known for	Foreign advisor to Meiji Japan

Major General Henry Spencer Palmer (30 April 1838 – 10 February 1893) was a British army military engineer and surveyor, noted for his work in developing Yokohama harbor in the Empire of Japan as a foreign advisor to the Japanese government

Palmer was born at Bangalore, British India; his father was a colonel in the Madras army. He was educated at private schools in Bath in England and by tutors before being admitted in January 1856 to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Engineers in December and studied for a year at the Royal Engineers Establishment, Chatham. In October 1858, he was assigned to British Columbia, Canada as part of a survey mission. In addition to undertaking several exploratory surveys, he laid out trails, supervised road construction, and inspected road-works. He was commended for his efforts, and during his stay in Canada also contributed papers on British Columbia to the Royal Geographical Society in London. In November 1863, one month after their marriage, he and his 15-year-old wife, Canadian Mary Jane Pearson, the daughter of a Canadian archdeacon, (17 January 1848 – 10 January 1934) sailed for England.