Sir John Oscar Moreton (28 December 1917 – 14 October 2012) was a British diplomat.

Early life

Moreton born in

Oakham Oakham is the county town of Rutland in the East Midlands of England, east of Leicester, south-east of Nottingham and west of Peterborough. It had a population of 10,922 in the 2011 census, estimated at 11,191 in 2019. Oakham is to the west o ...

, Rutland, and was educated at

St Edward's School, Oxford St Edward's School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in Oxford, England. It is known informally as 'Teddies'. Approximately sixty pupils live in each of its thirteen houses. The school is a member of the Rugby G ...

and

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

. He served in the Royal Artillery during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, and was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

in 1944, following the

Battle of Kohima The Battle of Kohima proved the turning point of the Japanese U-Go offensive into India in 1944 during the Second World War. The battle took place in three stages from 4 April to 22 June 1944 around the town of Kohima, now the capital city of N ...

Diplomatic career

Moreton joined the Diplomatic Service in 1946. After postings to Kenya (1953–55) and Nigeria (1961–64), he served as Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Vietnam from 1969 to 1971. He was then the High Commissioner to Malta from 1972 to 1974, and between 1975 and 1977, served in the United States, first as Deputy Permanent Representative in the UK Mission to the United Nations in New York, and then as Minister in Washington, the deputy to the Ambassador. He was appointed CMG in 1966 and

KCMG KCMG may refer to * KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China * Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour * KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA * KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...

in 1978, and KCVO in 1976. Following his retirement, Moreton served as

Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod The Gentleman Usher of the Blue Rod is the Gentleman Usher to the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, established in 1818. If the office holder is female, she is referred to as the Lady Usher of the Blue Rod. The office was ...

from 19 October 1979 – 24 July 1992.

References

External links

Archives of Sir John Moreton at the University of London
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreton, John 1917 births 2012 deaths People from Oakham People educated at St Edward's School, Oxford Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery officers Recipients of the Military Cross Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Vietnam High Commissioners of the United Kingdom to Malta Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order British expatriates in Kenya British expatriates in Nigeria British expatriates in the United States