Australian public servant and diplomat
Francis Stuart |
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| Born | Francis Hamilton Stuart
(1912-07-20)20 July 1912
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| Died | 1 February 2007(2007-02-01) (aged 94) |
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| Nationality | Australian |
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| Alma mater | University of Oxford |
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| Occupation(s) | Public servant, diplomat |
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| Spouse |
Guinevere Dingley ( m. ) |
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Francis Hamilton Stuart (20 July 1912 – 1 February 2007) was a former Australian public servant and diplomat.
Early life and education
Stuart was born in Melbourne on 20 July 1912. His parents separated when he was 8 years old and he went to live in Sydney with his mother as a child.[1] He later boarded at Geelong Grammar School and went on to higher education at Oxford University.
Career
He began his career in the 1930s as a consular officer in the British Legation in Bangkok.[2] He shifted to the Australian Department of External Affairs in 1941.[2] In 1942, he enlisted in the Australian Army to serve during World War II.[3]
Between 1964 and 1957 Stuart was chief of protocol in the external affairs department in Canberra.[4]
In May 1957, Stuart, along with his wife and children, left Canberra for Phnom Penh to take up his appointment as Australian Minister to Cambodia.[5] His nomination had been approved by King Norodom Suramarit in April that year.[6] The Australian Legation in Phnom Penh was raised to Embassy status in 1959 and Stuart became Ambassador.[7]
Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced Stuart's appointment as Ambassador to the United Arab Republic in November 1961.[8]
In May 1970 Stuart was appointed High Commissioner to Pakistan, with concurrent accreditation to Afghanistan.[9] He left the Philippines in July 1970 to take up the post.[10] Whilst resident in Pakistan, Stuart saw the partition of Pakistan.[2]
In 1973, Stuart became the first resident Australian Ambassador to Poland.[11]
Retirement and later life
In December 1989 Stuart's book Towards Coming of Age was published by Griffith University.[2]
In his retirement, Stuart advocated for Australia to become a republic.[1]
Stuart died on 1 February 2007.[1]
References
