Sir James Reginald Alfred Bottomley, KCMG (Born 12 January 1920) is a retired British diplomat.
He was educated at King's College School and Trinity College, Cambridge; he was chairman of debates in the Cambridge Union Society in 1940, closing the debates to prevent proctoral censorship.[1] In World War II he served in the Inns of Court Regiment, RAC, 1940-46 and was seriously wounded in Normandy in August 1944.
He joined the Dominions Office in 1946, which became the Commonwealth Relations Office, and then the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, serving in London, Pretoria (1948-50), Karachi (1953-55), Washington and the UN in New York(1955-59) and Kuala Lumpur (1963-67). He was British Ambassador to South Africa 1973-1976, and Permanent UK Representative to the UN and other international Organisations at Geneva 1976-78, at which point he retired from diplomatic service. Director Johnson Matthey plc, 1979–85. Member, British Overseas Trade Board, 1972
He was appointed CMG in 1965, and KCMG in 1973.
He was the son of Sir (William) Cecil Bottomley, one time Senior Crown Agent, and Alice Bottomley, one time lecturer at the London school of Economics, daughter of Sir Richard Robinson. He married Barbara Vardon; they had two daughters and three sons, one of whom died young. The survivors became involved in computing, politics, teaching and statistics. The Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley is his son.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Arthur Snelling |
British Ambassador to South Africa 1973-76 |
Succeeded by Sir David Scott |