Oliver Wright (diplomat)

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British diplomat

title: "Oliver Wright (diplomat)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1922-births", "2009-deaths", "people-educated-at-solihull-school", "alumni-of-christ's-college,-cambridge", "ambassadors-of-the-united-kingdom-to-west-germany", "ambassadors-of-the-united-kingdom-to-the-united-states", "ambassadors-of-the-united-kingdom-to-denmark", "knights-grand-cross-of-the-order-of-st-michael-and-st-george", "knights-grand-cross-of-the-royal-victorian-order", "recipients-of-the-distinguished-service-cross-(united-kingdom)", "royal-navy-officers-of-world-war-ii", "members-of-hm-diplomatic-service", "principal-private-secretaries-to-the-secretary-of-state-for-foreign-and-commonwealth-affairs", "royal-naval-volunteer-reserve-personnel-of-world-war-ii", "british-people-in-british-malaya", "british-expatriates-in-romania", "british-expatriates-in-south-africa", "20th-century-british-diplomats", "royal-naval-reserve-personnel", "military-personnel-from-the-london-borough-of-hammersmith-and-fulham", "graduates-of-the-royal-college-of-defence-studies", "people-from-hammersmith"] description: "British diplomat" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Wright_(diplomat)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary British diplomat ::

::data[format=table title="infobox officeholder"]

FieldValue
honorific-prefixSir
nameOliver Wright
honorific-suffix
imageOliver Wright and Ronald Reagan 1982.jpg
captionat right, in the Oval Office
office1British Ambassador to the United States
term_start11982
term_end11986
predecessor1Sir Nicholas Henderson
successor1Sir Antony Acland
monarch1Elizabeth II
1blankname1Counterpart
1namedata1Charles H. Price II
John J. Louis Jr.
birth_date
birth_placeHammersmith
death_date
death_placeEngland
spouseMarjory Osborne
alma_materSolihull School
Christ's College, Cambridge
::

|honorific-prefix= Sir |name= Oliver Wright |honorific-suffix= |image=Oliver Wright and Ronald Reagan 1982.jpg |caption=at right, in the Oval Office |office1 = British Ambassador to the United States |term_start1 = 1982 |term_end1 = 1986 |predecessor1 = Sir Nicholas Henderson |successor1 = Sir Antony Acland |monarch1 = Elizabeth II |1blankname1 = Counterpart |1namedata1 = Charles H. Price II John J. Louis Jr. |birth_date= |birth_place=Hammersmith |death_date= |death_place=England |spouse=Marjory Osborne |alma_mater=Solihull School Christ's College, Cambridge

Sir John Oliver Wright (6 March 1922 – 1 September 2009) was a British diplomat. He was British Ambassador to West Germany from 1975 to 1981 and British Ambassador to the United States from 1982 to 1986.

Early life

Wright was born on 6 March 1921 in Hammersmith, London, England. He was the younger son of Arthur Wright, a catering manager and hotelier, and his wife, Ethel Louisa Hicks, (née Shearod). The family moved from London to the West Midlands when Wright was very young. He was educated at Solihull School, then an all-boys private school in Solihull, West Midlands. He won a scholarship to Christ's College, Cambridge. There, he studied modern languages and specialised in German and French. Following graduation, he joined the military for service during World War II.

His studies were interrupted by World War II. He served in the Royal Naval Reserve (1941–45) and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Following his service he took and passed the Foreign Office exam, thus was accepted to Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service.

Military service

In 1941, having completed his university degree, Wright joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.

Diplomatic career

Wright's career as a Diplomat was a highly distinguished one:

Having retired from the Diplomatic Service in 1981, he was elected Master of Christ's College, Cambridge. He would have become the new Master in 1982, but was recalled to the Diplomatic Service to become British Ambassador to the United States and therefore never took up the appointment.

Later life

On 1 January 1987, Wright was appointed King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George. This appointment is the herald, one of six officers, of the Order of St Michael and St George. In July 1996, he was succeeded in the appointment by Sir Ewen Fergusson.

Honours and decorations

On 1 December 1964, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) for his services as Private Secretary to Alec Douglas-Home from 1960 to 1964. On 26 May 1978, he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO). Knight Grand Cross is the highest grade within the Royal Victorian. He was appointed GCVO following the state visit undertaken by Queen Elizabeth II to West Germany between 22 and 26 May 1978.

Offices held

References

References

  1. A & C Black. (2009). "WRIGHT, Sir (John) Oliver". Oxford University Press.
  2. (January 2013). "Wright, Sir (John) Oliver (1921–2009)".
  3. (22 September 2009). "Sir Oliver Wright: Diplomat who served under two Prime Ministers in Downing Street and as ambassador to the US". The Independent.
  4. (6 September 2009). "Sir Oliver Wright". The Daily Telegraph.
  5. "Sir Oliver Wright GCMG GCVO DSC".
  6. {{London Gazette. (2 January 1987)
  7. {{London Gazette. (19 July 1996)
  8. {{London Gazette. (27 November 1964)
  9. {{London Gazette. (13 June 1978)

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