Francis Ormond Wilson (born 1946) is a retired New Zealand diplomat. During his career, he served as head of mission in Moscow, Santiago, and Hong Kong.

Early life and family

Wilson was born in 1946, the son of politician, farmer and author

Ormond Wilson George Hamish Ormond Wilson (18 November 1907 – 17 April 1988) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament representing the Labour Party, farmer, author and Chairman of the Historic Places Trust. He donated 30 acres of bush and his homestead to th ...

and his second wife, author Rosamond Rolleston. He was educated at Christ's College in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

from 1960 to 1964, and completed a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree in the

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...

at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in 1970.

Career

Wilson joined the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

in 1971, and remained in the public service until his retirement in 2006. He was second secretary at the New Zealand embassy in Saigon in 1975, and was the last New Zealand diplomatic representative to leave South Vietnam on 22 April 1975, shortly before the fall of Saigon, having been instrumental in arranging the evacuation of New Zealanders and Vietnamese people with New Zealand connections. Wilson's other postings in Asia were to

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

and, from 2001 to 2005 in Hong Kong where he served as New Zealand's consul-general. Between 1981 and 1984, Wilson was the New Zealand ''

chargé d'affaires A ''chargé d'affaires'' (), plural ''chargés d'affaires'', often shortened to ''chargé'' (French) and sometimes in colloquial English to ''charge-D'', is a diplomat who serves as an embassy's chief of mission in the absence of the ambassador ...

'' in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, and from 1992 until 1996 he was ambassador in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

. Wilson also served at various times at the head of the Asia section of the New Zealand Overseas Development Agency, the Asia section of the External Assessments Bureau within the

Prime Minister's Department A cabinet department or prime minister's department is a department or other government agency that directly supports the work of the government's central executive office, usually the cabinet and/or prime minister, rather than specific ministe ...

, and the South and Southeast Asia division of the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade may refer to: * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade (Jamaica) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (New Zealand) * Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (South Korea) South Korea's Ministry of ...

(MFAT). After his retirement, Wilson was appointed as a special advisor to MFAT, and was a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum expert and eminent persons group.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Frank 1946 births Living people Ambassadors of New Zealand to Chile People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch Alumni of SOAS University of London New Zealand public servants Ormond family Rolleston family Brittan family