Oliver Charles Harvey, 1st Baron Harvey of Tasburgh (26 November 1893 – 29 November 1968) was a British civil servant and diplomat.

Life

Harvey was the son of Sir Charles Harvey, 2nd Baronet (1849-1928). He was educated at

Malvern College Malvern College is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, fee-charging coeducational boarding school, boarding and day school in Malvern, Worcestershire, Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It is a public school (United Kingdom), public school ...

. He was one of the

Harvey family Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

of baronets.

Diplomatic career

He joined the Diplomatic Service as a

Third Secretary Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seating ...

in 1920, after being admitted under open competition in September 1919. He advanced to Second Secretary from 15 December 1920, to First Secretary from 22 October 1926, and Counsellor from 21 January 1936. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the

1937 Coronation Honours The 1937 Coronation Honours were awarded in honour of the coronation of George VI. Royal Honours Order of the Thistle * The Queen Royal Victorian Chain * The Queen * Queen Mary * Clive, Baron Wigram Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) * The Que ...

. He was appointed 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 caregi ...

in the

1944 New Year Honours The 1944 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 31 December 1943. The recip ...

following his service as Principal Private Secretary to the Secretary of State, who had been

Anthony Eden Robert Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon (12 June 1897 – 14 January 1977) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1955 until his resignation in 1957. Achi ...

. He served as Deputy Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1946 to 1948 and as Ambassador to France from 1948 to 1954. He was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

in the

1946 Birthday Honours The 1946 King's Birthday Honours, celebrating the official birthday of King George VI, were announced on 13 June 1946 for the United Kingdom and British Empire. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new ...

(and promoted to Knight Grand Cross of that Order in the 1948 New Year Honours) and

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order () is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the monarch, members of the royal family, or to any viceroy or senior representative of the ...

in the

1950 Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1950 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the ...

. On 3 July 1954 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Harvey of Tasburgh, of

Tasburgh Tasburgh ( ) is a civil parish and a village in the south of Norfolk, England, located approximately 8 miles south of Norwich. It lies on the A140 road, north of Long Stratton and south of Newton Flotman. The River Tas flows nearby and Tasb ...

in the County of Norfolk. Four months later he succeeded his half-brother as fourth Baronet, of Crown Point.

Personal life

Lord Harvey of Tasburgh married Maud Annora, daughter of Arthur Watkin Williams-Wynn, in 1920. He died in November 1968, aged 75, and was succeeded in his titles by his son Peter. Lady Harvey of Tasburgh died in 1970. Lord Harvey and Maud Annora (née Williams Wynn) had issue: * Peter Charles Oliver Harvey, 2nd Baron Harvey of Tasburgh (b. 28 Jan 1921, d. 18 Apr 2010) * Hon. John Wynn Harvey (b. 4 Nov 1923, d. 21 Sep 1989)

Diaries

Lord Harvey's diaries are housed at the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

. The diaries can be accessed through the British Library catalogue.Harvey Diaries
archives and manuscripts catalogue, the British Library. Retrieved 2 June 2020 Edited by his son John Harvey, they were published in two volumes as: * ''The Diplomatic Diaries of Oliver Harvey 1937-1940'' (Collins, 1970) * ''The War Diaries of Oliver Harvey 1941-1945'' (Collins, 1978)

Notes

References

*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990, * * 1893 births 1968 deaths Diplomatic peers

204 __NOTOC__ Year 204 ( CCIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cilo and Flavius (or, less frequently, year 957 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 204 for th ...

Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Order of the Bath Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to France People educated at Malvern College Principal Private Secretaries to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Members of HM Diplomatic Service People from South Norfolk (district) Hereditary barons created by Elizabeth II 20th-century British diplomats {{UK-diplomat-stub