Thomas Bruce Millar (18 October 1925 – 5 June 1994), also known as T. B. Millar, was an Australian

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

, political scientist and a major figure in the development of strategic studies in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Millar was born in Kalamunda,

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. He was educated at Guildford Grammar School in Perth and the Universities of Western Australia,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He was a graduate of the

Royal Military College Royal Military College may refer to: ;Australia * Royal Military College, Duntroon, Campbell, Australian Capital Territory ;Canada * Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario * Royal Military College Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean, Quebec ;Mala ...

, Duntroon, and served in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

in 1943–1950. After several years as a schoolteacher, he joined the staff of the Department of International Relations at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

in 1962. He was a professorial fellow in the department from 1968 onwards and head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC) in 1966–1971 and 1982–1984. He was director of the

Australian Institute of International Affairs The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) is an Australian research institute and think tank which focuses on International relations. It publishes the ''Australian Journal of International Affairs''. It is one of the oldest act ...

, 1969-1976. In 1985 Millar was seconded to London University as professor of

Australian studies Australian studies forms part of the academic field of cultural studies. It involves an examination of what constructs Australia's national identity. This area of scholarship traditionally involves the study of Australian history, society and cu ...

and the foundation head of the Australian Studies Centre (then part of the

Institute of Commonwealth Studies The Institute of Commonwealth Studies, founded in 1949, is the sole postgraduate academic institution in the United Kingdom devoted to the study of the Commonwealth. It is also home to the longest-running interdisciplinary and practice-oriented ...

; now th
Menzies Centre for Australian Studies
at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

). Following his retirement in 1990, he remained in London until his death and held part-time positions at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

and

. Millar was made a fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia in 1982 and an Officer of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in 1983. He married Ann Drake-Brockman in 1951 and they had two daughters and one son. The marriage was dissolved in 1986. He remarried in 1990. A Christian Scientist and both a proud Australian and Western Australian, he would also proudly remind people of his Scottish ancestry - as evidenced by the spelling of his surname with the Scottish `ar' ending. Millar was a prolific writer on international relations and defence and strategic studies. In honour of his work in this field, the Graduate Studies in Strategy and Defence program (based in the SDSC) offers up to three ''T.B. Millar Scholarships'' each year to outstanding students.

Works

* ''Australia's defence'' (1965) * ''The Commonwealth and the United Nations'' (1967) * ''Australia's defence policies 1945-65'' (1968) * ''Australia's foreign policy'' (1968) * ''Australia in peace and war'' (1978) * ''The East-West strategic balance'' (1981) * ''South African dilemmas'' (1985). In 1995 a book of essays was published in his honour, edited by

Coral Bell Coral Mary Bell (30 March 1923 – 26 September 2012) was an Australian academic, who wrote extensively about international relations and power politics. Early life and education Coral Bell was born in Gladesville, a suburb of Sydney, Australi ...

, entitled ''Nation, region and context: studies in peace and war''.

References

Guide to the Papers of T.B. Millar at the National Library of Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Millar, Thomas 1925 births 1994 deaths Australian political scientists Australian political philosophers Officers of the Order of Australia People educated at Guildford Grammar School Royal Military College, Duntroon graduates 20th-century Australian historians Australian expatriates in England Australian Army personnel of World War II 20th-century political scientists