Sir Leander Starr Jameson (1853-1917) was a British administrator and South African statesman. He played an important role in the colonization of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and is known largely for his leadership of the abortive raid on Johannesburg.

Leander Jameson was born in Edinburgh on Feb. 3, 1853, and trained as a physician at the university medical college. He sailed for South Africa in 1878 and set up practice in Kimberley, where he met and became close friends with Cecil Rhodes, who wanted to establish a British colony stretching from the Cape of Good Hope to Cairo. Jameson performed several missions for Rhodes which eventually led to the founding of the colony of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

The discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand had attracted large numbers of foreigners (mainly British) to Johannesburg, and these clamored for political rights to secure their economic interests. When their efforts failed, crisis followed crisis...