John McCarthy (born 1942) has served as Australia's Ambassador to Vietnam (1981-83), Ambassador to Mexico (1985-87), Ambassador to Thailand (1992-94), Ambassador to the United States from 1995 to 1997, Ambassador to Indonesia (1997-2001) Ambassador to Japan (27 July 2001-2004), and High Commissioner to India (approx. 2004-2009). He has also served in Damascus, Baghdad and Vientiane.
From 1994-95, McCarthy was Deputy Secretary in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra. In October 2010 he became National President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.
Born in Washington, D.C., McCarthy was educated at Cambridge University where he received a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws degree. He is a barrister-at-law and practised in London from 1965 to 1966. He worked with the New York Law Firm of Shearman & Sterling from 1966 to 1967 and joined the then-Australian Foreign Service in 1968. McCarthy has two daughters.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Don Russell |
Australian Ambassador to the United States 1995 – 1997 |
Succeeded by Andrew Peacock |