By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
“Texas is not what I thought it was. Every day, I learn something new about Texas; it’s not like the basic stereotype. It’s a big friendly place to explore,” said United Kingdom’s Consular General Richard Hyde.
Mr. Hyde was assigned to the UK’s Houston consulate in June 2019. He is responsible for representing the UK in Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
From 1842 to 1939, Galveston played host to numerous international consulates at a time when Galveston was an up-and-coming international port city. Gradually, the consulates relocated up to Houston, which was bursting into the thriving international port city that it has become.
Hyde is very familiar with international port cities. He was born in Liverpool where, as he said, “We consider ourselves the cultural center of the world.” He does realize he is in Texas and compares the United Kingdom to the spirit of Texas. “Texas and the UK are similar. We consider ourselves to be very individual focused and we are both internationally focused,” he said.
One character trait of Texans that Hyde really enjoys is the friendly chattiness of the people. “It’s really nice coming from Liverpool where everyone chats with everyone else. I feel right at home,” said Hyde.
Since arriving in Texas, Hyde has attended his first Texas rodeo up in Dallas where he took in some new sporting events. “I heard about mutton busting but I couldn’t believe it, so I had to see it for myself,” he said.
“It’s hilarious. It’s not something we would ever consider doing in the UK, strapping a kid to a sheep and letting the child ride,” he chuckled as he spoke of the event.
Hyde also had his first encounter with an animal that looks like a huge rat. Though a possum looks a bit terrifying at first glance, he has decided they are harmless and enjoys the possum family living near the fence in the backyard of the consulate’s residence.
Hyde comes from a bustling home with three brothers. His mother cared for the family at home while his father worked the night shift in a factory near the docks. Hyde’s nonstop smile and enthusiasm shifted a bit into a slightly more somber expression as he remembers his father.
Born in India, his father was sent to England by his parents for an education at the age of 15. His father was blind and there wasn’t an opportunity for education for him in India. Politics shifted in India and his father was left without financial support from back home, so he took a job at a factory in Liverpool.
Hyde recalls sitting with his dad listening to the news every weekday at 5:00pm. “I was about seven years old and I listened with my father to intense international news coverage,” said Hyde. “Weekends, my father spent his time with my brothers and I.”
With countless hours of absorbing information from around the world, Hyde became somewhat of an unconventional student amongst his peers. “My friends thought I was crazy because I knew all the answers to current events,” Hyde said, as he returned to his more cheerful self while he describes his love of all that is going on around him and around the world.
His bonding time with his father as they tuned into to world affairs has served him well in his adult life as a diplomat representing the UK in countries across the world. Hyde has two adult daughters who attend universities in England. His wife of 27 years, Jackie, is with him in Houston.
When he needs to escape from his busy workload, Hyde heads to Galveston to enjoy the sea.
