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Sir Crispin Charles Cervantes Tickell
(25 August 1930 – 25 January 2022) was a British diplomat, environmentalist, and academic.
Background
Tickell was the son of writer
Jerrard Tickell
Edward Jerrard Tickell (14 February 1905 – 27 March 1966) was an Irish writer, known for his novels and historical books on the Second World War.
Biography
Jerrard Tickell was born in Dublin and educated in Tipperary and, from 1919 until 1922 a ...
and Renée ( Haynes), a great-granddaughter of
Thomas Henry Huxley
Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
The storie ...
. He was educated at
Westminster School
(God Gives the Increase)
, established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560
, type = Public school Independent day and boarding school
, religion = Church of England
, head_label = Hea ...
where he was a King's Scholar, and
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
, graduating in 1952 with first class honours in Modern History.
[Crispin Tickell online CV](_blank)
Accessed 14 April 2007. He did his national service in the
Coldstream Guards
The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
as a 2nd Lieutenant from 1952 to 1954.
Diplomatic career
Tickell joined the British diplomatic service in 1954, serving at the
Foreign Office Main Building in London until 1955. He was responsible for looking after the
British Antarctic Territory
The British Antarctic Territory (BAT) is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories, of which it is by far the largest by area. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between ...
; the experience gained may have laid the foundations for long-term interests in the environment.
[Citation ]Cranfield University
, mottoeng = After clouds light
, established = 1946 - College of Aeronautics 1969 - Cranfield Institute of Technology (gained university status by royal charter) 1993 - Cranfield University (adopted current name)
, type = Public research uni ...
Honorary Graduation He then had a posting at the British Embassy in
The Hague
The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
(1955–58);
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
(1958–61); London (1961–64); Paris (1964–70); and Private Secretary to various Chancellors of the
Duchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster is the private estate of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British sovereign as Duke of Lancaster. The principal purpose of the estate is to provide a source of independent income to the sovereign. The estate consists of ...
(1970–72) during negotiations for the UK entry into the
European Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
. He was later
Chef de Cabinet
In several French-speaking countries and international organisations, a (French; literally 'head of office') is a senior civil servant or official who acts as an aide or private secretary to a high-ranking government figure, typically a minist ...
to the President of the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
(1977–1980),
British Ambassador to Mexico
The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Mexico is the United Kingdom's foremost diplomatic representative in the United Mexican States, and head of the UK's diplomatic mission in Mexico.
Besides the embassy in Mexico City, the UK also maintains ...
(1981–1983), Permanent Secretary of the
Overseas Development Administration
, type = Department
, logo = DfID.svg
, logo_width = 180px
, logo_caption =
, picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg
, picture_width = 180px
, picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...
(now
Department for International Development
, type = Department
, logo = DfID.svg
, logo_width = 180px
, logo_caption =
, picture = File:Admiralty Screen (411824276).jpg
, picture_width = 180px
, picture_caption = Department for International Development (London office) (far right ...
) (1984–1987), and British Ambassador to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
and Permanent Representative on the
UN Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, and ...
(1987–1990).
He was appointed
MVO in 1958 and later knighted as a
KCVO in 1983 on the
Royal Yacht Britannia
Her Majesty's Yacht ''Britannia'', also known as the Royal Yacht ''Britannia'', is the former royal yacht of the British monarchy. She was in service from 1954 until 1997. She was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the th ...
, to mark the conclusion of
Queen Elizabeth's Official Visit to Mexico. He was appointed
GCMG
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III.
It is named in honour ...
for his work at the UN in 1988.
Spying at U.N. headquarters debate
When
Clare Short
Clare Short (born 15 February 1946) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for International Development under Prime Minister Tony Blair from 1997 to 2003.
Short was the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Ladywood from 1983 t ...
, former international development secretary in
Blair's Cabinet, said that British intelligence bugged the office of
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...
, the UN Secretary-General, Tickell refused to comment on the accuracy of Short's claim, saying he had a continuing duty of loyalty to governments past and present and told the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, "What I would say is I would not be surprised if in New York there is a great deal of listening all over the place from one country to another, and I don't know whether it really makes very much difference. My conscience is quite clear about these matters and I would not think it necessarily a bad thing at all if it is in the national interest." Tickell added, "Our friends and allies may indeed be doing something like that themselves."
Tickell also criticized Short for resigning from her position of Secretary for International Development in protest of Tony Blair's entry into the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
in May 2003 and reprimanded her: "your prime loyalty is to your employer and, indeed, to the interests of the country."
Academic career
Tickell was President of the
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...
from 1990 to 1993 and Warden of
Green College, Oxford
Green Templeton College (GTC) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The college is located on the previous Green College site on Woodstock Road next to the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in North Oxford and ...
, between 1990 and 1997, where he appointed
George Monbiot
George Joshua Richard Monbiot ( ; born 27 January 1963) is a British writer known for his environmental and political activism. He writes a regular column for ''The Guardian'' and is the author of a number of books.
Monbiot grew up in Oxfordsh ...
and
Norman Myers
Norman Myers (24 August 1934 – 20 October 2019) was a British environmentalist specialising in biodiversity and also noted for his work on environmental refugees.
Biography
Myers was born in Whitewell (Lancashire, then Yorkshire) and was r ...
as Visiting Fellows. Green College merged with
Templeton College in 2008 to become
Green Templeton College
Green Templeton College (GTC) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The college is located on the previous Green College site on Woodstock Road next to the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in North Oxford and ...
, located at what was previously Green College.
He was President of the
Marine Biological Association
The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (MBA) is a learned society with a scientific laboratory that undertakes research in marine biology. The organisation was founded in 1884 and has been based in Plymouth since the Citadel H ...
from 1990 to 2001. From 1996 until August 2006 he was chancellor of the
University of Kent
, motto_lang =
, mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...
when Sir
Robert Worcester
Sir Robert Milton Worcester, (born 21 December 1933) is an American-born British Opinion poll, pollster who is the founder of Ipsos MORI, MORI (Market & Opinion Research International Ltd.) and a member and contributor to many voluntary organ ...
took over the position. He was director of the Policy Foresight Programme of the James Martin 21st Century School at the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
(formerly the Green College Centre for Environmental Policy and Understanding) and Chairman Emeritus of the Climate Institute, in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
He has many interests, including
climate change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
, population issues,
conservation of biodiversity
Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws.
Conservation may also refer to:
Environment and natural resources
* Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...
, and the early
history of the Earth
The history of Earth concerns the development of planet Earth from its formation to the present day. Nearly all branches of natural science have contributed to understanding of the main events of Earth's past, characterized by constant geologi ...
.
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...
credited Tickell with persuading her to make a speech on global climate change to the Royal Society in September 1988 (though the speech was written by Thatcher and
George Guise).
He chaired
John Major
Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997, and as Member of Parliament ...
's Government Panel on Sustainable Development (1994–2000), and was a member of two government task forces under the
Labour Party: one on
urban regeneration
Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of bligh ...
, chaired by Sir
Richard Rogers
Richard George Rogers, Baron Rogers of Riverside (23 July 1933 – 18 December 2021) was a British architect noted for his modernist and Functionalism (architecture), functionalist designs in high-tech architecture. He was a senior partner a ...
, later Lord Rogers (1998–99), and one on
potentially hazardous near-Earth objects (2000).
He was an Honorary Fellow of
St Edmund's College, Cambridge
St Edmund's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. Founded in 1896, it is the second-oldest of the four Cambridge colleges oriented to mature students, which accept only students reading for postgraduate degr ...
.
Public impact
A man of strong environmental convictions, he was described as having been influential in Britain, although his environmental message did not always travel as easily abroad, particularly to the United States. His 1977 book ''Climatic Change and World Affairs'' argued that mandatory international pollution control would eventually be necessary. Despite his non-scientific background, he was internationally respected as having had a strong grasp of science policy issues. He was the recipient, between 1990 and 2006, of 23
honorary doctorates
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
.
He was the president of the UK charity
Tree Aid
Tree Aid is an international development non-governmental organisation which focuses on working with people in the Sahel region in Africa to tackle poverty and the effects of climate change by growing trees, improving people's incomes, and res ...
, which enables communities in Africa's
drylands
Drylands are defined by a scarcity of water. Drylands are zones where precipitation is balanced by evaporation from surfaces and by transpiration by plants (evapotranspiration). The United Nations Environment Program defines drylands as tropical ...
to fight poverty and become self-reliant, while improving the environment. He was also a patron of
population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...
concern charity
Population Matters
Population Matters, formerly known as the Optimum Population Trust, is a UK-based charity that addresses population size and its effects on environmental sustainability. It considers population growth as a major contributor to environmental degr ...
, (formerly known as the Optimum Population Trust), and told BBC Radio 4's ''Today'' programme that the ideal population for Britain could be around 20 million. As a member of Lord Rogers' Urban Task Force, Tickell counselled against spreading cities saying that we need denser living, that young adults should not expect to leave home straight away, and that older relatives could live in "granny flats".
Personal life and death
Sir Crispin lived in a converted barn in the
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale.
The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...
. He married Chloe Gunn in 1954 but the marriage was dissolved in 1976. He had two sons and one daughter from this marriage. His main recreations included climatology, paleohistory,
pre-Columbian art
Pre-Columbian art refers to the visual arts of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, North, Central, and South Americas from at least 13,000 BCE to the European conquests starting in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The Pre-Columbian era c ...
, and mountains.
His son is
Oliver Tickell
Oliver Tickell is a British journalist, author and campaigner on health and environment issues, and author of the book ''Kyoto2'' which sets out a blueprint for effective global climate governance. His articles have been published in all the broa ...
, former editor of ''
the Ecologist
''The Ecologist'' is a British environmental journal, then magazine, that was published from 1970 to 2009. Founded by Edward Goldsmith, it addressed a wide range of environmental subjects and promoted an ecological systems thinking approach thr ...
''.
Crispin Tickell died from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
on 25 January 2022, at the age of 91.
Former appointments
* Non-executive Director,
IBM UK (1990–1995)
* Trustee,
Natural History Museum
A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, climatology, and more. ...
(1992–2001)
* Trustee,
Baring Foundation (1992–2002)
Publications
*''Climate Change and World Affairs'', with a preface by
Solly Zuckerman
Solomon "Solly" Zuckerman, Baron Zuckerman (30 May 1904 – 1 April 1993) was a British public servant, zoologist and operational research pioneer. He is best remembered as a scientific advisor to the Allies on bombing strategy in the Second Wo ...
(1977, second edition 1986, Harvard International Affairs Committee)
second edition available online in full*''Mary Anning of Lyme Regis'', with a preface by
John Fowles
John Robert Fowles (; 31 March 1926 – 5 November 2005) was an English novelist of international renown, critically positioned between modernism and postmodernism. His work was influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, among others.
Aft ...
(1996, 1998 and 2003).
Styles and honours
* Mr Crispin Tickell (1930–1958)
* Mr Crispin Tickell MVO (1958–1983)
* Sir Crispin Tickell KCVO (1983–1988)
* Sir Crispin Tickell GCMG KCVO (from 1988)
References
External links
Archive of his worksTalk presentated at the RIBA: Sir Crispin Tickell, The Future of Cities: Hazards of Environmental ChangeVideo)
Interview with Sir Crispin Tickelltranscript British Diplomatic Oral History Programme, Churchill College, Cambridge, 1999
Offices held
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tickell, Crispin
1930 births
2022 deaths
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Mexico
Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford
British environmentalists
Chancellors of the University of Kent
Coldstream Guards officers
Green thinkers
Huxley family
Wardens of Green College, Oxford
Fellows of Green Templeton College, Oxford
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Permanent Representatives of the United Kingdom to the United Nations
People educated at Westminster School, London
Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society
Recipients of the Royal Geographical Society Patron's Medal