Sir Dominic Anthony Gerard Asquith (born 7 February 1957) is a British career diplomat and former Ambassador to

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, and

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

. He was First Secretary at the British Embassy in Washington DC. He was most recently the British High Commissioner to the

Republic of India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Background and education

Asquith is the younger son of The 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith and Anne (born Palairet). He was a great-grandson of

H. H. Asquith Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, (12 September 1852 – 15 February 1928), generally known as H. H. Asquith, was a British statesman and Liberal Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom f ...

, the former British Prime Minister. Asquith's elder brother

Raymond Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

, father Lord Oxford, and maternal grandfather Sir Michael Palairet, all served as British diplomats. Like his father and brother, he was educated at

Ampleforth College Ampleforth College is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the English public school tradition located in the village of Ampleforth, North Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1802 as a boys' school, it is situated in the groun ...

. In 1975 he was involved in the

Musa Alami Musa Alami (3 May 1897 – 8 June 1984) ( ar, موسى العلمي, ) was a prominent Palestinians, Palestinian nationalist and politician. Due to Alami having represented Palestine at various Arab conferences, in the 1940s, he was viewed by ...

project in the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

, Palestine, and worked as a researcher at the

Institute of Palestine Studies The Institute for Palestine Studies (IPS) is the oldest independent nonprofit public service research institute in the Arab world. It was established and incorporated in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1963 and has since served as a model for other such ins ...

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. In 1981 he worked as a freelance journalist in

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and then as the Executive Secretary to the Parliamentary Association for Euro-Arab Co-operation in London, until 1983.

Diplomatic career

Asquith joined

HM Diplomatic Service His Majesty's Diplomatic Service (HMDS) is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, dealing with foreign affairs and representing British interests overseas, as opposed to the Home Civil Service, which d ...

in 1983 as part of the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

department and served at

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Muscat Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is s ...

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, ...

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

and

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...

before being appointed Deputy Head of Mission in

in 2004, Director of the Iraq Directorate at the

Foreign and Commonwealth Office The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom. Equivalent to other countries' Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ministries of fore ...

2004–06 and Ambassador to Iraq 2006–07. He was Ambassador to Egypt 2007–11 and Ambassador to Libya 2011–12. On 4 December 2009, Asquith gave evidence before Parliament to

The Iraq Inquiry The Iraq Inquiry (also referred to as the Chilcot Inquiry after its chairman, Sir John Chilcot)Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

in 2004, and knighted as a

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George 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 ...

in the

2012 New Year Honours 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

. After spending a few years in the private sector, Asquith returned to diplomatic life, taking charge as High Commissioner to India in April 2016. He concluded his four-year stint in India in January 2020.

Outside work

In May 2013 Asquith took an unpaid position leading a trade delegation to Libya organised by the Libyan British Business Council. In June 2013 Sir Dominic took a paid position as senior consultant with ''Tatweer Research'', a Libyan research and development company, specialising in technology and engineering.

Career overview

*1983–1984 Diplomat, Soviet Dept *1984–1985 Diplomat, Southern Europe Dept *1986–1987 Second Secretary, Damascus, Syria *1987–1989 First Secretary (Chancery), Muscat *1989–1990 Diplomat, EC Dept (Internal) Dept *1990–1992 Private Secretary to Minister of State FCO *1992–1996 First Secretary, Washington DC, USA *1996 Drugs and International Crime Dept FCO *1997–2001 Minister and Dep Head of Mission, Buenos Aires *2001–2004 Deputy Head of Mission and Consul-General, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia *2004 Deputy Special Representative for Iraq, and Deputy Head of Mission, Baghdad, Iraq *2004–2006 Director Iraq, FCO *2006–2007 HM Ambassador to Iraq *2007–2011 HM Ambassador to Egypt *2011–2012 UK Special Representative, then Ambassador, to Libya *2013–2015 Senior Advisor, Dentons LLP *2016–2020 British High Commissioner to India

Personal life

Asquith was married in 1988 to Louise Cotton, who had worked as a secretary in the British Foreign Office and resigned upon her marriage. Sir Dominic and Lady Asquith have four children:The Peerage, entry for Hon Sir Dominic Asquith
/ref> * Gabriela Elizabeth Louise Asquith (born 1989) * Helena Lucy Anne Asquith (born 1990) * Thomas Anthony Gerard Asquith (born 1992) * William Raphael Augustine Asquith (born 1994)

References

External links

Libyan British Business Council websiteTatweer Research websiteBurke's Peerage & Baronetage website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Asquith, Dominic 1957 births Living people English Roman Catholics

Dominic Asquith Sir Dominic Anthony Gerard Asquith (born 7 February 1957) is a British career diplomat and former Ambassador to Iraq, Egypt, and Libya. He was First Secretary at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., Washington DC. He was most recently the ...

Younger sons of earls People educated at Ampleforth College Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Egypt Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Iraq Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Libya High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to India Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George