John Palmer, 4th Earl of Selborne

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John Roundell Palmer, 4th Earl of Selborne KBE, FRS, FIBiol (born 24 March 1940) is a British peer and businessman. He is one of the ninety hereditary peers elected to remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999.

The son of Captain William Palmer, Viscount Wolmer, in turn son of the 3rd Earl of Selborne, and Hon. Grace Ridley, he succeeded to his grandfather's titles in 1971. Palmer was educated at Eton College in Berkshire and at Christ Church College, Oxford, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1961 and a Master of Arts.

Palmer was member of the Apple and Pear Development Council between 1969 and 1973. He was further chairman of Hops Marketing Board from 1978 to 1982, of the Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) from 1982 to 1989 and of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) from 1991 to 1997. He was also a member of the NEDC Food Sector Group in 1991 and 1992 and a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution 1993 to 1998. In 1994 and 1995, he was director of the Lloyds Bank Plc and between 1995 and 2004 of Lloyds TSB Group Plc.

Palmer was president of the Royal Agricultural Society of England from 1987 to 1988, of the Royal Institute of Public Health and Hygiene from 1991 to 1997 and of the Royal Geographical Society from 1997 to 2000. He was also vice-president of the Foundation for Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST). Since 1996, he is chancellor of the University of Southampton and since 2003, he is chairman of the trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. In 1987, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) and in 1991, he became a Fellow of Royal Society (FRS). He is Fellow of the Linnean Society as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Biology (FIBiol). Since 1989, he is also Master of the Worshipful Company of Mercers.

Since 1969, he has been married to Joanna Van Antwerp, née James. They a daughter and three sons including his heir William Lewis Palmer, Viscount Wolmer.