Antony Acland

Sir Antony Arthur Acland (12 March 1930 – 8 September 2021) was a British diplomat and a provost of Eton College.

Early life

Antony Acland was the second son of Bridget Susan (Barnett) and Brigadier Peter Acland. He was educated at Eton College, then in 1948 joined the Royal Artillery with a post-war "emergency commission".<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> After short army service he went up to Christ Church, Oxford, gaining a BA degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1953 (later upgraded to MA). After leaving Oxford in 1953 he went straight into the Foreign Office (FO).Template:Sfn

Career

After studying at the Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, Acland was posted to Dubai and then Kuwait, then back to the FO as Assistant Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary (Selwyn Lloyd, then Alec Douglas-Home) 1959–62. He then served at the UK Mission to the UN, first in New York City 1962–66, then at Geneva 1966–68. Back at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) he was head of the Arabian department 1970–72.

Acland was Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary (Alec Douglas-Home, then James Callaghan) 1972–75. He was Ambassador to Luxembourg 1975–77<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and to Spain 1977–79. He was Deputy Under-Secretary at the FCO 1979–82, a post which then entailed chairing the Joint Intelligence Committee. In 1982 he was promoted to Permanent Under-Secretary and head of the Diplomatic Service. Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in April 1982 and Acland came into collision with the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, over the diplomatic response. At one point during a heated discussion he threatened to resign, whereupon Thatcher backed down and said "All right, no more Foreign Office bashing."Template:Sfn

Acland was Ambassador to the United States at Washington, D.C., 1986–91, then retired from the Diplomatic Service and was Provost of Eton College 1991–2000.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

Acland was a member of the Founding Council of the Rothermere American Institute at Oxford, helping to raise funds for the institute's building and library.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Honours

Acland was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1976 New Year Honours<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in November of that year after the Queen's state visit to Luxembourg,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> after which he was styled "Sir Antony Acland". He was given the additional knighthood of Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1982 Birthday Honours<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and promoted to Knight Grand Cross of that same order in the 1986 Birthday Honours<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in the 1991 Birthday Honours.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was Chancellor of the Order of St Michael and St George between 1994 and 2005.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2001 he was given the rare honour of appointment as a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>

Personal life

In 1956, Acland married Clare Anne Verdon; they had a daughter and two sons, including Simon Acland. Clare died in 1984; in 1987 he married Jennifer McGougan.

He died in September 2021, at the age of 91.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His death came one day before that of fellow Knight Companion of the Garter Sir Timothy Colman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

Sources

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