Alan Watt (diplomat)
| Sir Alan Watt CBE | |
|---|---|
| Secretary of the Department of External Affairs | |
|
In office 19 June 1950 – 24 January 1954 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Alan Stewart Watt 13 April 1901 Croydon, New South Wales |
| Died |
18 September 1988 (aged 87) Aranda, Australian Capital Territory |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Spouse(s) | Mildred Mary Wait (m. 1927; d. 1983)[1] |
| Children | 3 sons and a daughter[1] |
| Alma mater |
University of Sydney University of Oxford |
| Occupation | Public servant, diplomat |
Sir Alan Stewart Watt CBE (13 April 1901 – 18 September 1988) was a distinguished Australian diplomat. He attended Sydney Boys High School,[2] he first joined the (then) Department of External Affairs in 1937.[1] He served in the United States during World War II and was one of the Australian delegates at the United Nations Conference on International Organization.[3] In 1947 Watt became the Australian minister to the Soviet Union and in 1948 the first Australian Ambassador in Moscow.[3] In 1950 he returned to Australia and was appointed Secretary to the Department and was instrumental in negotiation of the ANZUS and SEATO treaties. He then served as High Commissioner to both Singapore and Southeast Asia (1954–1956), Ambassador to Japan (1956–1960) and Ambassador to Germany (1960–1962).[3] Leaving the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1962, he became a Visiting Fellow of the Australian National University, and Director of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (1963–1969).[3]
A graduate of the Universities of Sydney and Oxford, he was a New South Wales Rhodes Scholar for 1921.[4][3][5]
He wrote a number of books and articles in retirement, including The Evolution of Australian Foreign Policy 1938–1965 (1967, Cambridge University Press, 67-10782), Vietnam - An Australian Analysis (1968, Melbourne, F. W. Cheshire for Australian Institute of International Relations), and Australian Diplomat - Memoirs of Sir Alan Watt (1972, Angus and Robertson, ISBN 0-207-12354-3).
Awards and honours
Alan Watt was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in June 1952,[6] and as a Knight Bachelor in June 1954.[7]
In 2011, a street in the Canberra suburb of Casey was named Alan Watt Crescent in Watt's honour.[8]
References
- 1 2 3 "Obituary: Diplomat, author and athlete: Sir Alan Stewart Watt". The Canberra Times. 20 September 1988. p. 8. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014.
- ↑ ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (PDF), Sydney High School Old Boys Union
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Retirement of Sir Alan Watt as director". Australian Outlook (now known as Australian Journal of International Affairs) 23 (3): 298. 1969. doi:10.1080/10357716908444356. ISSN 1465-332X. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ↑ Woodard, Garry (2012), "Watt, Sir Alan Stewart (1901–1988)", Australian Dictionary of Biography (Australian National University), archived from the original on 7 March 2016
- ↑ "Sir Alan Watt's New Post". The Canberra Times. 2 August 1963. Archived from the original on 16 February 2014.
- ↑ Search Australian Honours: WATT, Alan Stewart, Australian Government
- ↑ Search Australian Honours: WATT, Alan Stewart, Australian Government
- ↑ Alan Watt Crescent, ACT Government Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate, archived from the original on 27 February 2014
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Burton |
Secretary of the Department of External Affairs 1950 – 1954 |
Succeeded by Arthur Tange |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Laurence McIntyre |
Australian Commissioner to Singapore 1954 – 1956 |
Succeeded by Ralph Harry |
| Preceded by Edward Ronald Walker |
Australian Ambassador to Japan 1956 – 1960 |
Succeeded by Laurence McIntyre |
| Preceded by Patrick Shaw |
Australian Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany 1960 – 1962 |
Succeeded by Frederick Blakeney |
|