James Francis Lindsay, 3rd Baron Lindsay of Birker (born 29 January 1945), is an Australian former diplomat.

Background and education

Lindsay is the only son of

Michael Lindsay, 2nd Baron Lindsay of Birker Michael Francis Morris Lindsay, 2nd Baron Lindsay of Birker (24 February 1909 – 13 February 1994), was a British peer and academic. Education and life in China Lindsay was the son of Sandie and Erica Lindsay, née Storr. On his mother's sid ...

, and his wife, Hsiao Li. He was born in a hospital cave in

Yenan Yan'an; ; alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an), w ...

while his parents, supporters of Chinese communist resistance fighters, were fleeing the Japanese. He was the grandson of the Scottish academic and educationalist

Sandie Lindsay, 1st Baron Lindsay of Birker Alexander Dunlop Lindsay, 1st Baron Lindsay of Birker, (14 May 1879 – 18 March 1952),
known as Sandie Lind ...

. He was educated at the

University of Keele Keele University is a public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted university status by Royal Charter as ...

and the

University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...

, and worked as a lecturer in physics at

Tunghai University Tunghai University (THU; ) is a private university in Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan, established in 1955. It was founded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA). The university is known for its liberal arts educati ...

Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: '), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in central Taiwan. Taichung is Taiwan's second-largest city, with more than 2.85 million residents, making it the largest city in Ce ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

, between 1967 and 1968, and as an exploration geophysicist in Darwin,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, between 1969 and 1970.''Who's Who 2007: An Annual Biographical Dictionary''. London: A & C Black, 2007.

Diplomatic career

In 1972 Lindsay entered the Australian Foreign Service and was posted in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

between 1973 and 1976, in

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

between 1980 and 1981, in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

between 1982 and 1984 and in

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

between 1987 and 1990. In 1993 he was appointed Deputy High Commissioner to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, a post he held until 1996, and was then Deputy High Commissioner to

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

between 1996 and 2000. He was also Deputy Permanent Representative for Australia to the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

from 1996 to 2000. Lindsay succeeded his father in the barony in 1994 and took his seat in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

in July the following year. However, he lost his seat in parliament after the passing of the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given royal assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

Personal life

Lord Lindsay of Birker married firstly Mary Rose, daughter of W. G. Thomas, in 1969. They had no children and were divorced in 1985. He married secondly Pamela Collett, daughter of Lon Hutchison, in 2000. This marriage is also childless.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lindsay of Birker, James Lindsay, 3rd Baron 1945 births Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Alumni of Keele University Alumni of the University of Liverpool Australian diplomats Australian peers Living people Australian expatriates in Pakistan British people of Chinese descent Chinese people of Scottish descent Lindsay of Birker