Alan Campbell (diplomat)
Encyclopedia
Sir Alan Hugh Campbell GCMG
(1 July 1919 – 7 October 2007) was a British
diplomat
. He was British ambassador
to Ethiopia
from 1969 to 1972 and to Italy
from 1976 to 1979, and also held senior posts in the Foreign Office in London.
on the south coast of Devon
. He was educated at Sherborne School
from 1932 to 1937. He was fluent
in French
and German
, and read modern languages at Caius College, Cambridge. He obtained a First in his Part I examinations, but the Second World War intervened before Part II. He briefly served in the Suffolk Regiment
before being commissioned in the Devonshire Regiment. He later served as a staff officer in SOE
.
- and became third secretary in Singapore
. He became Private Secretary
to the Permanent Under-Secretary, Sir William Strong
(later Baron Strong) in 1950. During his period as Private Secretary, the civil service was rocked by the defections of diplomats Guy Burgess
and Donald Maclean
.
He served as first secretary in Rome
and then in Peking from 1952 to 1957, and spent a year at the Imperial Defence College in 1958. He became Assistant Head of the news department in 1959, and then joined the British Mission to the United Nations
in 1961, as Counsellor and Head of Chancery to Sir Patrick Dean
and then Lord Caradon
. During his period in New York
, he was closely involved in the Cuban missile crisis
. He was appointed CMG in 1964.
He was Head of the Western Department at the Foreign Office from 1965 to 1967, dealing with Britain's relationships with its allies in western Europe, and then Counsellor in Paris
from 1967 to 1969, where he was Counsellor and Head of Chancery to Sir Patrick Reilly
and Christopher Soames
.
He was then ambassador
to Ethiopia
from 1969 to 1972, at the court of Emperor Haile Selassie in Addis Ababa
. As he was driven to present his credentials to the Emperor, he noticed people bowing, saluting and kneeling
as he passed by, because his car was flying the flag of the Emperor in addition to the ambassador's flag. He reported that Haile Selassie was dignified and regal and "with an air of grave benevolence".
He returned to London as Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
from 1972 to 1974, supervising the departments dealing with southern Africa, and then a Deputy Under-Secretary of State from 1974 to 1976, as political director. He was British ambassador to Italy from 1976 to 1979, while the Red Brigades
were active - former Prime Minister of Italy
Aldo Moro
was abducted and murdered in 1978. He was advanced to KCMG in 1976 and GCMG in 1979.
, and was a director of National Westminster Bank
and Mercantile and General Reinsurance. He was Chairman of the British-Italian Society from 1983 to 1990, and Chairman of the British School at Rome
from 1987 to 1994. He was a member of the council of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
for 8 years. He was also a Governor of Sherborne School
from 1973 to 1987. He published his memoirs, Colleagues and Friends, in 1988.
and Brooks's
, and enjoyed playing tennis. He retired to the West Country, where he enjoyed painting watercolours.
He married Margaret Jean Taylor, an Australian, in 1947. She died in 1999 after a long illness. In later life, he lived in a flat in Westminster
. He died in London
, survived by his three daughters.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1 July 1919 – 7 October 2007) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
. He was British ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
from 1969 to 1972 and to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from 1976 to 1979, and also held senior posts in the Foreign Office in London.
Early life and education
Campbell's father had retired from the family business, Ibert & Co, and bought a large house, Combe Royal, near KingsbridgeKingsbridge
Kingsbridge is a market town and popular tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of about 5,800. It is situated at the northern end of the Kingsbridge Estuary, which is a textbook example of a ria and extends to the sea six miles south of the town.-History:The...
on the south coast of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. He was educated at Sherborne School
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
from 1932 to 1937. He was fluent
Fluent
Fluent can refer to:* fluency, in linguistics, the ability to communicate quickly.* fluent , in mathematics, a continuous function* fluent , in artificial intelligence, a condition that varies over time...
in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and read modern languages at Caius College, Cambridge. He obtained a First in his Part I examinations, but the Second World War intervened before Part II. He briefly served in the Suffolk Regiment
Suffolk Regiment
The Suffolk Regiment was an infantry regiment of the line in the British Army with a history dating back to 1685. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated with the Royal Norfolk Regiment as the 1st East Anglian Regiment in 1959...
before being commissioned in the Devonshire Regiment. He later served as a staff officer in SOE
SOE
- Organizations :* Special Operations Executive, a British World War II covert military organisation* State-owned enterprise, a government-owned business* Sega of Europe, a computer game developer* Sony Online Entertainment, a computer game developer...
.
Diplomatic career
Campbell joined the Foreign Office in 1946 - a grandfather, Sir Pelham Warren, had been Consul General in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
- and became third secretary in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. He became Private Secretary
Private Secretary
In the United Kingdom government, a Private Secretary is a civil servant in a Department or Ministry, responsible to the Secretary of State or Minister...
to the Permanent Under-Secretary, Sir William Strong
William Strong
William Strong may refer to:*William Strong , English clergyman*William Strong , member of the United States House of Representatives from Vermont...
(later Baron Strong) in 1950. During his period as Private Secretary, the civil service was rocked by the defections of diplomats Guy Burgess
Guy Burgess
Guy Francis De Moncy Burgess was a British-born intelligence officer and double agent, who worked for the Soviet Union. He was part of the Cambridge Five spy ring that betrayed Western secrets to the Soviets before and during the Cold War...
and Donald Maclean
Donald Duart Maclean
Donald Duart Maclean was a British diplomat and member of the Cambridge Five who were members of MI5, MI6 or the diplomatic service who acted as spies for the Soviet Union in the Second World War and beyond. He was recruited as a "straight penetration agent" while an undergraduate at Cambridge by...
.
He served as first secretary in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and then in Peking from 1952 to 1957, and spent a year at the Imperial Defence College in 1958. He became Assistant Head of the news department in 1959, and then joined the British Mission to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
in 1961, as Counsellor and Head of Chancery to Sir Patrick Dean
Patrick Dean
Sir Patrick Henry Dean, GCMG, was Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the United Nations from 1960 to 1964 and British Ambassador to the United States from 1965 to 1969....
and then Lord Caradon
Hugh Foot, Baron Caradon
Hugh Mackintosh Foot, Baron Caradon, GCMG KCVO OBE PC was a British colonial administrator and diplomat who oversaw moves to independence in various colonies and was UK representative to the United Nations....
. During his period in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, he was closely involved in the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
. He was appointed CMG in 1964.
He was Head of the Western Department at the Foreign Office from 1965 to 1967, dealing with Britain's relationships with its allies in western Europe, and then Counsellor in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from 1967 to 1969, where he was Counsellor and Head of Chancery to Sir Patrick Reilly
Patrick Reilly
Sir Patrick Reilly, GCMG was a British diplomat who served as ambassador to the USSR and France.D'Arcy Patrick Reilly was at Ootacamund, India, the only son of Sir D'Arcy Reilly, Chief Justice of Mysore. He was educated at Winchester College and New College, Oxford, where he was awarded BA in 1932...
and Christopher Soames
Christopher Soames, Baron Soames
Arthur Christopher John Soames, Baron Soames, GCMG, GCVO, CH, CBE, PC was a British politician belonging to the Conservative Party and the son-in-law of Winston Churchill. A European Commissioner and the last Governor of Southern Rhodesia, he had previously been the longtime Member of Parliament...
.
He was then ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
from 1969 to 1972, at the court of Emperor Haile Selassie in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. As he was driven to present his credentials to the Emperor, he noticed people bowing, saluting and kneeling
Kneeling
Kneeling is a human position in which the weight is distributed on the knees and feet on a surface close to horizontal.The position of kneeling may be assumed for practical reasons and for reasons of social or religious custom.- Practical reasons :...
as he passed by, because his car was flying the flag of the Emperor in addition to the ambassador's flag. He reported that Haile Selassie was dignified and regal and "with an air of grave benevolence".
He returned to London as Assistant Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
from 1972 to 1974, supervising the departments dealing with southern Africa, and then a Deputy Under-Secretary of State from 1974 to 1976, as political director. He was British ambassador to Italy from 1976 to 1979, while the Red Brigades
Red Brigades
The Red Brigades was a Marxist-Leninist terrorist organisation, based in Italy, which was responsible for numerous violent incidents, assassinations, and robberies during the so-called "Years of Lead"...
were active - former Prime Minister of Italy
Prime minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy is the head of government of the Italian Republic...
Aldo Moro
Aldo Moro
Aldo Moro was an Italian politician and the 39th Prime Minister of Italy, from 1963 to 1968, and then from 1974 to 1976. He was one of Italy's longest-serving post-war Prime Ministers, holding power for a combined total of more than six years....
was abducted and murdered in 1978. He was advanced to KCMG in 1976 and GCMG in 1979.
Later career
He later worked as a foreign affairs advisor to Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
, and was a director of National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank
National Westminster Bank Plc, commonly known as NatWest, is the largest retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom and has been part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc since 2000. The Royal Bank of Scotland Group is ranked as the second largest bank in the world by assets...
and Mercantile and General Reinsurance. He was Chairman of the British-Italian Society from 1983 to 1990, and Chairman of the British School at Rome
British School at Rome
The British School at Rome was established in 1901 and granted a Royal Charter in 1912 as an educational institute in the fields of archaeology, literature, music, and history of Rome and Italy of every period, and for the study of the fine arts and architecture...
from 1987 to 1994. He was a member of the council of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
for 8 years. He was also a Governor of Sherborne School
Sherborne School
Sherborne School is a British independent school for boys, located in the town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset, England. It is one of the original member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference....
from 1973 to 1987. He published his memoirs, Colleagues and Friends, in 1988.
Additional Personal Information
He was a member of the Beefsteak ClubBeefsteak Club
Beefsteak Club is the name, nickname and historically common misnomer applied by sources to several 18th and 19th century male dining clubs that celebrated the beefsteak as a symbol of patriotic and often Whig concepts of liberty and prosperity....
and Brooks's
Brooks's
Brooks's is one of London's most exclusive gentlemen's clubs, founded in 1764 by 27 men, including four dukes. From its inception, it was the meeting place for Whigs of the highest social order....
, and enjoyed playing tennis. He retired to the West Country, where he enjoyed painting watercolours.
He married Margaret Jean Taylor, an Australian, in 1947. She died in 1999 after a long illness. In later life, he lived in a flat in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
. He died in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, survived by his three daughters.