Humphreys was a Quaker philanthropist who bequeathed $10,000, one-tenth of his estate, to establish a school for "the descendants of the African race".
[3] This Institute for Colored Youth, later renamed Cheyney University, was founded in 1837 to provide educational opportunities for African Americans.
Sarah Lake and Thomas Humphrey married in 1744 and had five children, Richard was the fourth-born to the couple.
[1] Sarah and Thomas were wealthy members of high-society Tortola, owning and profiting from enslaved African labor on their plantation.
Richard Humphreys was one of a number of highly successful individuals who came from the Quaker congregation in that territory (others included William Thornton and John Lettsom).