Alister McIntosh
Sir Alister Donald Miles McIntosh
Early life
McIntosh was born in Picton, the eldest of four children of Caroline Margaret Cowles (née Miles) and Henry Hobson McIntosh, a telegraphist.[1]
He was educated at Marlborough College from 1920 to 1924, where he undertook the first section of a BA degree.[1] He then continued his education part-time while a civil servant at Victoria College, where after preparing a thesis on Marlborough's political history, he earned an MA in History in 1930.[1]
Early public service career
McIntosh joined the New Zealand the public service as a cadet in the Department of Labour's head office in March 1925, where he was employed in the library. In July 1926 he transferred to the Legislative Department after taking a position as an assistant librarian in the General Assembly Library.[1]
After being awarded a Carnegie Fellowship and he was granted in 1932 a year's leave of absence to study library development and archive procedure in the United States and Canada. During his way home he spent several months in the United Kingdom visiting libraries and archives. Following his return to New Zealand in July 1933, he wrote a farsighted report on library requirements in New Zealand, in which he proposed establishing a national bibliographical centre, a rural library service, introducing inter-library lending. He also proposed amalgamating the Alexander Turnbull Library, the General Assembly Library, the national archives and the New Zealand Institute Library into a national library. While his proposals were not implemented at the time many were later to come into fruition.[1]
Following his return he became actively involved in the Institute of Pacific Relations being its secretary from 1934 to 35.[1] He was also one of the founders of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs which was established at a meeting in Wellington on 7 July 1934. McIntosh was served as its first Secretary-Treasurer.[2]
McIntosh worked and was close to such intellectuals as Dr
Prime Minister's Department
In February 1935, Carl Berendsen, the new head of the Prime Minister's Department, arranged for McIntosh to be as seconded to his department as a research officer.[1] McIntosh organised an information and statistical section. In February 1936 he formally transferred to the Prime Minister's Department and with time effectively became Berendsen's deputy.[1]
World War II
Following the outbreak of
Post war
Following the end of World War II McIntosh, despite restrictions on government expenditure, commenced building up and staffing the Department of External Affairs. As head of the Department of External Affairs McIntosh took a key role in the establishment of the
Nomination to be Commonwealth Secretary General
In 1965 McIntosh was nominated to the position of Commonwealth Secretary-General and it was widely expected that he would be elected at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference later that year.[3] At the eleventh hour Keith Holyoake, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, was approached by British security officials. They appear to have advised that McIntosh was a security risk as his homosexuality would make him susceptible to blackmail. As a result, the British government was not prepared to support his candidacy. McIntosh subsequently withdrew his candidacy claiming ill-health (he had issues with his inner ear, which affected his hearing and balance).[3]
He retired as Secretary of Foreign Affairs in 1966 (he was succeeded by George Laking), but then established New Zealand's posting in Italy, serving as ambassador there until 1970.[3]
Retirement
In retirement, McIntosh served as Chairman of the
Ngaio Marsh in her 1974 mystery novel Black as He's Painted thanks McIntosh (and P. J. Humphries) for advice on matters ambassadorial and linguistic related to an African embassy in London.
McIntosh's health deteriorated during 1977, with several strokes limiting the use of his right arm and hand. He died at Wellington on 30 November 1978 and was cremated at Karori.
Personal life
A homosexual by nature during a period in New Zealand when even the suspicion of homosexuality could destroy a career McIntosh chose discretion.[3][1] He married librarian Doris Hutchinson Pow, in Wellington on 20 September 1934. They had a son, James during their lifetime marriage.[1]
Honours
In the
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m McGibbon, Ian. "McIntosh, Alister Donald Miles". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ "The New Zealand Institute of International Affairs (NZIIA): Origins, Developments, Prospects". New Zealand Institute of International Affairs. February 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
- ^ a b c d King, page 378.
- ^ "No. 40962". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 1 January 1957. p. 45.
- ^ "No. 45985". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 2 June 1973. p. 6507.
References
- King, Michael (2012). The Penguin History of New Zealand. Canberra: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780143567578.
- McGibbon, Ian, ed. (1993). Undiplomatic Dialogue: Letters between Carl Berendsen and Alister McIntosh 1943–1952. Auckland: Auckland University Press. ISBN 1-86940-095-X.
- McGibbon, Ian, ed. (1999). Unofficial Channels: Letters between Alister McIntosh and Foss Shanahan, George Laking and Frank Corner 1946-1966. Wellington: Victoria University Press. ISBN 0-86473-365-8.
- Templeton, Malcolm, ed. (1993). An eye, an ear and a voice: 50 years in New Zealand's external relations. Wellington: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. ISBN 0-477-03725-9.
External links
- Alister McIntosh 1906–1978
- Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
- Corner, F. The man who shaped our foreign service: Christchurch Star. 15 December 1978
- Working with Peter Fraser in Wartime