Richard Mercer Keene Slater was born in Simla, India, was educated at Eton and Magdalene College, Cambridge and soon followed his father and joined the Indian Civil Service in 1939. He was Deputy Commissioner in Dera Ghazi Khan and was present when India achieved her independence in 1947. Soon after, he left India and joined the staff of the first British High Commissioner in Pakistan. He also witnessed the turmoil that took place following partition and the death of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He was then sent to Peru by the Foreign office. Peru was at that time under the Latin American dictator, General Manuel Odria who had taken over Peru in a Military coup. In the mid 1950's he was Head of Chancery in Moscow at the time of Khrushchev's denunciation of Stalin. He loved Burma where he served from 1959 to 1962.

Richard Slater was the High Commissioner in Uganda in 1972, when Idi Amin made a decision to expel him and over 20,000 Ugandan Asians. Idi Amin accused him of conniving in plans for the invasion of Uganda and of trying to incite British workers to leave among other accusations.

Amin announced Richard Slater's expulsion on National television, with Ugandans silently watching the British High Commissioner being admonished by Idi Amin.

Slater loved Uganda and was sorry to leave like so many others who were asked to go, but he did try to reason with the harsh dictator till the very end.