Sir Frank Edward Figgures KCB CMG (5 March 1910 – 27 November 1990) was a British

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

, noted as the first

secretary-general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

of the

European Free Trade Association The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The organization operates in parallel with the European U ...

from 1960 to 1965. In this position he promoted a more united Europe through economic cooperation. Figgures was educated at Rutlish School, New College and

Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, ...

, and

Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & World ...

. He was called to the Bar in 1936. Figgures served in the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

during

World War II 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

.Oral History Interview with Sir Frank Figgures
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. In 1946 he served as under-Secretary to

HM Treasury His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's Government ...

, helping in Britain's recovery effort, and from 1948 to 1951 he served as Director of Trade and Finance for 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 organisation with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate ...

. He served in various other treasury positions before heading the EFTA in 1960.

References

1910 births 1990 deaths British Army personnel of World War II Civil servants in HM Treasury Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George European Free Trade Association Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath OECD officials Place of birth missing Place of death missing Royal Artillery officers Alumni of New College, Oxford Alumni of Merton College, Oxford {{UK-army-bio-stub