Roy James Cameron (11 March 19233 October 2006) was an Australian public servant and

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

. He was the

Australian Statistician The Australian Statistician is the head of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. On 18 June 1906, the first ''Statistician of the Commonwealth of Australia'' was appointed to carry out the provisions of the ''Census and Statistics Act 1905''. Late ...

from 1977 to 1985.

Life and career

Cameron was born in

Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

on 11 March 1923. He studied at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, graduating with first class honours from a Bachelor of Economics course in 1948. He graduated a Master of Economics from the university in 1951, with the topic "Standard hours and the basic wage: an analysis of two aspects of the work of the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration." He was awarded a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

scholarship to study for his doctorate at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, starting in 1951. He completed his PhD in 1956. From 1973 to 1977 Cameron was Australia's Ambassador to the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...

in Paris. His appointment announcement, which was issued by

Gough Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...

in 1973, noted Cameron's broad experience in economic and financial matters. In 1977 Cameron returned to Australia to take up his appointment as

. He served in the role until his retirement in August 1985. Cameron died on 3 October 2006.

Awards

Cameron was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

in the 1982 Birthday Honours.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Roy 1923 births 2006 deaths Australian statisticians Permanent Representatives of Australia to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Australian Companions of the Order of the Bath Harvard University alumni People from Port Pirie University of Adelaide alumni