George David Lloyd White (21 March 1918 – 19 February 1981) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

diplomat and public servant, who served as New Zealand's

ambassador to the United States The following table lists ambassadors to the United States, sorted by the representative country or organization. See also *Ambassadors of the United States Notes {{reflist, 30em External linksCurrent and former Ambassadors to the United Sta ...

from 1972 to 1978.

Biography

Born in

Nelson, New Zealand (Let him, who has earned it, bear the palm) , image_map = Nelson CC.PNG , mapsize = 200px , map_caption = , coordinates = , coor_pinpoint = , coordinates_footnotes = ...

in 1918, White was educated at

Timaru Boys' High School Timaru Boys' High School (also known as TBHS), established in 1880, is a single sex state (public) secondary school located in the port city of Timaru, South Canterbury, New Zealand. TBHS caters for years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 19 years). At th ...

from 1930 to 1935. He then attended

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

, graduating

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 ...

with first-class honours in economics in 1941. He served with the 2nd NZEF from 1941 to 1945, and was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in 1943. White joined the New Zealand public service in 1945, posted to the Economic Stabilisation Commission. He joined the

Department of External 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 1949, and had diplomatic postings to London—where he was economic counsellor at the New Zealand High Commission from 1954 to 1955 and deputy high commissioner from 1961 to 1964—and to Washington, where he was chargé d'affaires from 1958 to 1961 and

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

from 1972 to 1978. Domestically he served as deputy secretary of foreign affairs between 1964 and 1972. Following his retirement in 1978, White was chief executive of the

Queen Elizabeth II National Trust The Queen Elizabeth II National Trust (QEII) is a registered charity and statutory New Zealand organisation independent from the government and managed by a Board of Directors. It was established in 1977 by the Queen Elizabeth the Second Nation ...

. In 1957, White was appointed a

Member of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

. He died in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

in 1981 and was buried at Akatarawa Cemetery.

References

1918 births 1981 deaths People from Nelson, New Zealand People educated at Timaru Boys' High School University of Canterbury alumni New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand public servants New Zealand Members of the Royal Victorian Order Ambassadors of New Zealand to the United States Ambassadors of New Zealand to Mexico Burials at Akatarawa Cemetery {{NewZealand-diplomat-stub