Francis Patrick Donovan, (1 February 1922 − 3 February 2012) was an Australian academic, lawyer, and diplomat. He served as Australian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the

OECD 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 ...

, and Ambassador and Special Trade Delegate to the

United Nations Office at Geneva The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG, french: Office des Nations Unies à Genève) in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of the four major offices of the United Nations where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. The main UNO ...

. After retirement from the Diplomatic Service, he became a vice-chairman of the

International Court of Arbitration ICC International Court of Arbitration is an institution for the resolution of international commercial disputes. It operates under the auspices of the International Chamber of Commerce and consists of more than 100 arbitrators from roughly 90 c ...

Early life

Donovan was born in Ingham, Queensland on 1 February 1922 to a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

family. His father John was a Clerk of the Peace and Petty Sessions. He was educated at

St Joseph's College, Nudgee , motto_translation = A Sign of Faith , location = Boondall, Queensland , country = Australia , coordinates = , other_name = St. Joseph's Nudgee College , former_name ...

and the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = ...

. During his time at Queensland, Donovan became friends and edited the university newspaper with future Governor of Queensland Walter Campbell. After joining the Australian Militia at the beginning of

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 ...

whilst at University, he then served in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force, where he was commissioned into the 55th/53rd Battalion and served as the battalion's

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

later in the war. Donovan then went as a

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

to Magdalen College, Oxford, where he graduated as a

Bachelor of Civil Law Bachelor of Civil Law (abbreviated BCL, or B.C.L.; la, Baccalaureus Civilis Legis) is the name of various degrees in law conferred by English-language universities. The BCL originated as a postgraduate degree in the universities of Oxford and C ...

. In 1950, in Chicago he met and married Maria Kozslik, a Hungarian, who later became an author and journalist.

Educational career

On returning from the United States, Donovan became a Reader in Law 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 ...

. In 1952, he was appointed Chair of Commercial Law at

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

by his friend

Zelman Cowen Sir Zelman Cowen, (7 October 1919 – 8 December 2011) was an Australian legal scholar and university administrator who served as the 19th Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1977 to 1982. Cowen was born in Melbourne, and attended ...

, who would later serve as 19th Governor General of Australia. During this time, he was a visiting professor at

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university in New York City. Columbia Law is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious law schools in the world and has always ranked ...

and was President of the Melbourne University Staff Association. In 1953, the university granted him a Master of Laws degree. Whilst at Melbourne, Donovan published key case books for Australian Commercial law, and one publication 'Signed, Sealed, and Delivered: An Introduction to Australian Commercial Principles' was printed six times. Throughout his life he was also a Barrister of the Supreme Courts of Victoria and

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Diplomatic career

In 1961, Donovan resigned from his chair in the Melbourne Law School to join the diplomatic service, specialising as a trade representative. His appointments began as a Commercial Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in Rome, and then becoming a Minister (Commercial) in the Department of Foreign Trade, Commercial Adviser to the Australian High Commission, London, and Deputy Head of the Australian mission to the European Economic Community. After leaving the mission at the EEC, he was appointed Ambassador and Permanent Representative from Australia to the

, serving from 1977 to 1980. After leaving Paris, Donovan was made Special Trade Delegate to the

from 1980 to 1982 whilst retaining his honorific title of Ambassador. In Geneva, and in retirement, he remained a consulted expert on the

GATT The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is a legal agreement between many countries, whose overall purpose was to promote international trade by reducing or eliminating trade barriers such as tariffs or quotas. According to its pre ...

. On

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove and raising of the Union Flag by Arthur Phillip following days of exploration of Port J ...

1976, Francis Patrick Donovan was created a Member 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 Go ...

for his contributions to the Diplomatic Service, and in 1980 was inducted as a Knight of Magistral Grace into the Australian branch of the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

Later life and death

After retiring from the Diplomatic Service, Donovan retired to Paris, France and became a member of the

. In 1994, he became a vice-chairman of the Court, and for this service was created a Chevalier in the

Legion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1998. His son, Patrick Donovan married author

Tessa Dahl Chantal Sophia "Tessa" Dahl (born 11 April 1957) is an English author and former actress. She is the daughter of British author Roald Dahl and American actress Patricia Neal. Early life Dahl was born in Oxford, the second daughter of British au ...

, daughter of

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has b ...

and

Patricia Neal Patricia Neal (born Patsy Louise Neal, January 20, 1926 – August 8, 2010) was an American actress of stage and screen. A major star of the 1950s and 1960s, she was the recipient of an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Tony Award, and two ...

, and his daughter Cristiane was employed by the OECD. Donovan died on 3 February 2012, aged 90, in Paris, France, and was buried in the grounds of Magdalen College, Oxford.

Awards and decorations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donovan, Francis Patrick 1922 births 2012 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Australian Rhodes Scholars Australian diplomats Melbourne Law School alumni University of Queensland alumni People from Queensland Australian Army personnel of World War II Recipients of the Legion of Honour Members of the Order of Australia Knights of Malta Australian Roman Catholics Australian Army officers