Reader Bullard
| Sir Reader William Bullard KCB KCMG CIE | |
|---|---|
| British Ambassador to Iran | |
| In office 1942–1946 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Horace Seymour |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Le Rougetel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 December 1885 Walthamstow, Essex, England |
| Died | 24 May 1976 (aged 90) Wantage, Oxfordshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Miriam Catherine Smith (m.1921) |
| Children | 5 (4 sons, 1 daughter) |
| Parents | Charles Bullard Mary Westlake |
| Alma mater | Queens’ College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Diplomat and author |
Sir Reader William Bullard KCB KCMG CIE (5 December 1885 – 24 May 1976) was a British diplomat and author.[1]
Education
Reader Bullard was born in Walthamstow, the son of Charles, a dock labourer, and Mary Bullard. He was educated at the Bancroft's School, Woodford Green, northeast London, and spent two years studying at Queens' College, Cambridge.[2] entered the Levant (Western Asia) Consular Service in 1906.
Career
He held various diplomatic positions during his career:[3]
- 1920: Military Governor, Baghdad, Iraq
- 1921: Middle East Department, Colonial Office
- 1923–25: Consul, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- 1925–28: Consul, Athens, Greece
- 1928: Consul, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- 1930: Consul General, Moscow, Russia
- 1931–34: Leningrad, Russia
- 1934: Rabat, Morocco
- 1936–39: Minister, Jedda, Saudi Arabia
- 1939-46: Minister and later Ambassador, Tehran, Iran
In 1951, Bullard became Director of the Institute of Colonial Studies in Oxford.[4] In 1953, he became a member of the governing body of School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Bullard was appointed Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE) in 1916, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in 1933, Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in 1936, and Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1944.[2] He was an Honorary Fellow of Queens' College, Cambridge, SOAS in London, and Lincoln College, Oxford.
Personal life
In 1921, Reader Bullard married Miriam Catherine (Biddy), née Smith, daughter of the historian Arthur Lionel Smith, Master of Balliol College, Oxford.[4] They had four sons and one daughter, including the diplomats Sir Giles Bullard (1926–1992) and Sir Julian Bullard (1928–2006).
Bullard retired in 1946. Towards the end of his life he lived in Plantation Road, North Oxford, England.[5] Bullard's papers have been archived by St Antony's College, Oxford.[3]
Works
Bullard published a number of books,[6] including Britain and the Middle East (1951) and his autobiography The Camels Must Go: An Autobiography (Faber, 1961). The diaries that he kept during his time in the Soviet Union were published posthumously, under the title Inside Stalin's Russia (Day Books, 2000).
See also
- List of diplomats from the United Kingdom to Iran
References
- ↑ Lambton, Ann K. S. (1977). "Obituary: Sir Reader William Bullard". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 40 (1): 130–134. JSTOR 615828.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Bullard, Sir Reader William". The Concise Dictionary of National Biography: Volume I, A–F. Oxford University Press. 1992. p. 387.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Sir Reader Bullard Collection". GB165-0042. St Antony's College, Oxford, UK. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Bullard, Sir Reader (William)". Who's Who, 1956 (108th ed.). London: Adam and Charles Black. 1956. p. 408.
- ↑ "Plantation Road". Kelly's Directory of Oxford (68th ed.). Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey: Kelly's Directories. 1976. pp. 422–423.
- ↑ "Books by Reader Bullard". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
External links
- Archival material relating to Reader Bullard listed at the UK National Archives
- Portraits of Sir Reader William Bullard at the National Portrait Gallery, London