Keith Officer

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Sir Keith Officer

| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100|sep=,|OBE|MC}}

| image = Sir Frank Keith Officer.png

| alt =

| ambassador_from = Australian

| country = France

| term_start = 18 April 1950

| term_end = March 1955

| predecessor = William Hodgson

| successor = Alfred Stirling

| ambassador_from2= Australian

| country2 = China

| term_start2 = 15 November 1948

| term_end2 = 17 October 1949

| predecessor2= Douglas Copland

| successor2 = Vacant

| office3 = Australian Minister to the Netherlands

| term_start3 = 1946

| term_end3 = 1948

| predecessor3= John Hood

| successor3 = John Quinn

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1889|10|02|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Toorak, Victoria, Australia

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1969|06|21|1889|10|02|df=yes}}

| death_place = Southampton, England

| nationality = Australian

| relatives =

| alma_mater = University of Melbourne (LLB)

| occupation = Public servant and diplomat

| awards = Knight Bachelor

| nickname =

| allegiance = Australia

| branch = Australian Imperial Force

| serviceyears= 1914–1919

| rank = Major

| unit =

| commands =

| battles = First World War

| mawards = Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Military Cross
Mentioned in Despatches (3)

}}

Sir Frank Keith Officer, {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100|sep=,|OBE|MC}} (2 October 1889 – 21 June 1969) was an Australian public servant and diplomat, best known for his postings in ambassadorial positions around the world.

Life and career

Keith Officer was born on 2 October 1889 in Toorak, Melbourne.{{citation|url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/officer-sir-frank-keith-11289|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140816025927/http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/officer-sir-frank-keith-11289|archivedate=16 August 2014|url-status=live|title=Officer, Sir Frank Keith (1889–1969)|first=Kathleen|last=Dermody|work=Australian Dictionary of Biography|publisher=Australian National University}} He was educated at Melbourne Grammar School and Melbourne University where he was resident at Ormond College.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11993135|title=Mr Keith Officer's varied career|date=1 September 1942|newspaper=The Argus|location=Melbourne, Victoria|page=2}}

Between 1914 and 1918, Officer served with the First Australian Imperial Force in Egypt, Gallipoli, France and Belgium.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article124610879|title=Keith Officer knighted|date=26 March 1951|page=6|newspaper=Queensland Times|location=Ipswich, Queensland}}

From 1919 to 1923, Officer was a political officer of the British Colonial Service in Nigeria.{{cite news|url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/46978261|title=External Affairs Officer in London: Mr. R. F. K. Officer Appointed|date=2 June 1933|newspaper=The Advertiser|location=Adelaide, SA|page=25}}

He joined the Australian Department of External Affairs in 1927.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article99115293|title=Netherlands post for Keith Officer|date=10 May 1946|page=5|newspaper=Northern Star|location=Lismore, New South Wales}}

In 1940, Officer was appointed counsellor to the Australian legation in Japan,{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article144082170|title=Mr. Keith Officer for Japan|date=20 August 1940|page=1|newspaper=Cootamundra Herald}} second in command to Sir John Latham.{{cite news|url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/17697457|title=Work of Mr. K. Officer. Three years in U.S.A. Tokyo Appointment|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|location=NSW|date=2 October 1940|page=16}} He was Charge d'Affaires in Tokyo when the Pacific War broke out.{{cite news|url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/140613886|title=Mr. Officer Minister to Netherlands|date=10 May 1946|newspaper=Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate|location=NSW|page=3}}

Between 1946 and 1948, Officer was Australian Minister to the Netherlands.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article140613886|title=Mr. Officer Minister to Netherlands|date=10 May 1946|newspaper=Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’ Advocate|page=3}}{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article95541852|page=4|newspaper=Kalgoorlie Miner|date=10 May 1946|title=Minister to Netherlands. Mr. Keith Officer's New Appointment}} Officer was offered the post of Australian Minister to Moscow in 1947.{{cite news|url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/185762051|title=Moscow post offered to F. K. Officer|date=23 December 1946|page=1|newspaper=The Wet Wyalong Advocate|location=NSW}}

In 1948, Officer was appointed Australian Ambassador to the Republic of China.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article96232854|title=Diplomat for China|date=18 June 1948|page=1|newspaper=Recorder|location=Port Pirie, South Australia}}{{cite news|url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2751624|title=Mr. K. Officer for Chungking|page=2|newspaper=The Canberra Times|location=ACT|date=21 June 1948}} He was recalled from Nanjing in November 1949 to consult with the Department of External Affairs on the recognition by the United Kingdom of the Communist Government in China.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18128382|title=Ambassador to China Returning|date=7 November 1949|page=3|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald}}

Between 1950 and 1955 Officer was Australian Ambassador to France.{{cite news|url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91194204|title=To succeed Sir Keith Officer|date=4 March 1955|page=2|newspaper=The Canberra Times}} He retired from the Commonwealth Public Service at the end of March 1950. His retirement prompted External Affairs Minister Richard Casey to write a letter touching on Officer's work, in which he said: "you can properly regard yourself not only as one of the founders of the Australian Foreign Service but as a model which men of succeeding generations can seek to emulate."{{cite news|newspaper=Sydney Bulletin|date=20 April 1955|url=http://soda.naa.gov.au/record/31500419/5|title=NAA: M1129, OFFICER/F K PART 1}}

Awards

In 1917, Officer was awarded the Military Cross.{{citation|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1091963|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302072546/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1091963&search_type=quick&showInd=true|archivedate=2 March 2015|title=Search Australian Honours: OFFICER, Frank Keith, Military Cross|publisher=Australian Government|work=itsanhonour.gov.au}} He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1919.{{citation|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1110091|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302072626/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1110091&search_type=quick&showInd=true|archivedate=2 March 2015|title=Search Australian Honours: OFFICER, Frank Keith, The Order of the British Empire – Officer (Military) |publisher=Australian Government|work=itsanhonour.gov.au}} In the 1950 Birthday Honours he was made a Knight Bachelor, for services as ambassador in Paris.{{citation|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1083645|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302073157/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1083645&search_type=quick&showInd=true|archivedate=2 March 2015|title=Search Australian Honours: OFFICER, Frank Keith, Knight Bachelor |publisher=Australian Government|work=itsanhonour.gov.au}}

Keith Officer

Life and career

Awards

References

Further reading