George Fergusson (diplomat)
{{Short description|British diplomat}}
{{EngvarB|date=December 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix = His Excellency
The Honourable
|name = George Fergusson
|honorific-suffix =
|image = File:George Fergusson (cropped).jpg
|office = Governor of Bermuda
|monarch = Elizabeth II
|premier = Paula Cox
Craig Cannonier
Michael Dunkley
|term_start = 23 May 2012
|term_end = 2 August 2016
|predecessor = David Arkley (Acting)
|successor = Ginny Ferson (Acting)
|office2 = Governor of Pitcairn
|premier2 =
|term_start2 = 2 May 2006
|term_end2 = May 2010
|predecessor2 = Richard Fell
|successor2 = Vicki Treadell
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1955|9|30}}
|birth_place = Scotland, United Kingdom
|death_date =
|death_place =
|spouse = Margaret Wookey
|alma_mater =
}}
George Duncan Raukawa Fergusson (born 30 September 1955) is a British diplomat. He was the British High Commissioner to New Zealand and Samoa, and the Governor of the Pitcairn Islands, from 2006 to 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U15648|title=FERGUSSON, George Duncan|work=Who's Who 2012, online edition|author=A & C Black|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2012|accessdate=17 December 2017}} He was the Governor of Bermuda from 2012 to 2016.{{cite web|title=New Governor : 'Challenges are crime and the economy'|url=http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120523/NEWS/120529990|work=The Royal Gazette|accessdate=17 December 2017|date=23 May 2012}}
Early life
George Fergusson was born in 1955, the son of Baron Ballantrae, who was Governor-General of New Zealand 1962–1967. His middle name "Raukawa" is Māori and reflects the history of Fergussons being appointed to vice-regal posts in New Zealand (two Governors and two Governors-General; George Fergusson is a direct descendant of all four). He was educated at Eton College and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he edited the student newspaper The Tributary.{{cite news |title=Colophon|newspaper=The Tributary|issue=10|date=27 November 1975|page=2}}
Political career
{{Infobox viceroy styles
|image = 150px
|name = The Hon. George Fergusson
(2012–2016)
|dipstyle = His Excellency
|offstyle = Your Excellency
|altstyle = Sir
}}
Fergusson joined the Northern Ireland Office in 1978. While serving in Belfast he introduced the Foreign Office to Christie Davies's humorous suggestion that Northern Ireland be the new home of Hong Kong's British population when the territory was handed over to China in 1997.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33361999|date=3 July 2015|publisher=BBC News|title=National Archives reveal Hong Kong-to-NI 'spoof'|accessdate=17 December 2017}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/03/uk-officials-discussed-resettling-55m-hong-kong-chinese-in-northern-ireland|date=2 July 2015|website=The Guardian|author=Owen Bowcott|title=UK officials discussed resettling 5.5m Hong Kong Chinese in Northern Ireland|accessdate=17 December 2017}} In 1988 he transferred to the Foreign Office as 1st Secretary (Political) in Dublin.
From 1991 to 1993, he was in the Soviet and then the Eastern Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. From 1994, he was 1st Secretary (Political/Information) in Seoul, and in 1996 he returned to London as Deputy Head of the Southern African Department. Later, in 1996, he became Head of the Republic of Ireland Department.
In 1999, Fergusson became Consul-General in Boston, and in 2003 was seconded to the Cabinet Office as Head of the Foreign Policy Team.
In 2006 he was appointed High Commissioner to New Zealand and Samoa, and Governor of the Pitcairn Islands.{{cite web |url=http://www.britishhighcommission.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=1082828873918 |title=NEW HIGH COMMISSIONER HAS UNIQUE CONNECTIONS WITH NEW ZEALAND |publisher=British High Commission, New Zealand |date= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060921073240/http://www.britishhighcommission.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=1082828873918 |archive-date=21 September 2006}} He left this Wellington based post in May 2010.
Fergusson was seriously injured in a mugging attack on 20 April 2012 in London. He suffered facial injuries that resulted in loss of the sight in his left eye.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9219460/Mugged-diplomat-George-Fergusson-loses-sight-in-eye.html|title=Mugged diplomat George Fergusson loses sight in eye|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group|date=22 April 2012|accessdate=17 December 2017}}
In May 2012, Fergusson took over as Governor of Bermuda from the retiring Sir Richard Gozney and served until August 2016.
Family
He is married to Margaret (née Wookey), and they have three daughters. The couple also had a son, who died in 2005.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-dip}}
{{s-bef|before=James Poston}}
{{s-ttl|title=British Consul-General
in Boston|years=1999–2003}}
{{s-aft|after=John Rankin}}
{{s-bef|before=Richard Fell|rows=3}}
{{s-ttl|title=British High Commissioner
to New Zealand|years=2006–2010}}
{{s-aft|after=Victoria Treadell|rows=3}}
{{s-ttl|title=(Non-resident) Governor
of the Pitcairn Islands|years=2006–2010}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=(Non-resident) British High
Commissioner of Samoa|years=2006–2010}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=David Arkley
Acting}}
{{s-ttl|title=Governor of Bermuda|years=2012–2016}}
{{s-aft|after=Ginny Ferson
Acting}}
{{s-end}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fergusson, George}}
Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
Category:Governors of Pitcairn
Category:High commissioners of the United Kingdom to New Zealand