Foss Shanahan (10 June 1910 – 13 September 1964) was a New Zealand diplomat and public servant.

Biography

Shanahan was born on 10 June 1910 at

Alexandra Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "prot ...

. He was educated at the Christian Brothers' Boys' School in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

and

Waitaki Boys' High School Waitaki Boys' High School is a secondary school for boys located in the northern part of the town of Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand, with day and boarding facilities, and was founded in 1883. , it has a school roll of approximately 400 students. The ...

, passing the public service entrance examination in 1926. He joined the public service in 1928 and studied part-time at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

and

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

, graduating from Victoria with a Master of Laws (LLM) in 1936. He started in the Customs Department, then in 1939 joined the Prime Minister’s Department, in the section that became the

New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) (Māori: ''Manatū Aorere'') is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the government on foreign and trade policy, and promoting New Zealand's interests in trade and in ...

. He was Assistant Secretary of the War Cabinet 1940-45, Deputy Secretary of the External Affairs Department 1943-55, Secretary of Cabinet 1946-55, and Head of Defence Secretariat 1949-55. He set up the Cabinet Secretariat, and was known as "Foss the Boss." He served as Commissioner then High Commissioner to Singapore (also to Malaya and Ambassador to Thailand) 1955-58, then as High Commissioner to Canada 1958-61 and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York 1958-62. In the 1962 Queen's Birthday Honours, Shanahan was appointed a

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. ...

. He died (of a brain tumour) on 13 September 1964 in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

Personal life

He married Joan Katherine McCormick (or Joan Mason) on 18 April 1938; they had four sons and one daughter.

External links

1961 letter to ''Salient'' "The Challenge of Change" by Foss Shanahan

References

*''Unofficial Channels: Letters between Alister McIntosh and Foss Shanahan, George Laking and Frank Corner 1946-1966'' edited by Ian McGibbon (1999, Victoria University Press, Wellington NZ) *''Undiplomatic Dialogue: Letters between Carl Berendsen and Alister McIntosh 1943-1952'' edited by Ian McGibbon (1993, Auckland University Press, Auckland NZ) {{DEFAULTSORT:Shanahan, Foss 1910 births 1964 deaths High Commissioners of New Zealand to Canada Deaths from cancer in New Zealand Deaths from brain tumor People educated at Kavanagh College People educated at Waitaki Boys' High School New Zealand public servants People from Alexandra, New Zealand Permanent Representatives of New Zealand to the United Nations Victoria University of Wellington alumni High Commissioners of New Zealand to Singapore Ambassadors of New Zealand to Thailand High Commissioners of New Zealand to Malaysia New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George