Lord Nicholas Gordon-Lennox
Encyclopedia
Lord Nicholas Charles "Nicky" Gordon-Lennox, KCMG
, KCVO
(31 January 1931 – 11 October 2004), the younger son of the 9th Duke of Richmond
and his wife, Elizabeth, was a British
diplomat
.
He was raised at the family home of Goodwood House
before being sent with his elder brother, Charles
, to the United States
at the outbreak of World War II
. He returned to England
in 1944 to join Eton
and later won a scholarship to read History
at Worcester College, Oxford
.
After graduation and National Service
with the King's Royal Rifle Corps
, he joined HM Foreign Service
in 1954 and became Private Secretary to the British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Harold Caccia in 1957, for which he was awarded the LVO
. He transferred to Chile
in 1961 as Second, then First Secretary at Santiago
. In 1963, he returned to England again to become Private Secretary to Caccia again, in the latter's post as Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, before moving to Madrid
as Head of the Chancery in 1966.
After a brief secondment at the Cabinet Office
from 1971-73, he became Head of the News Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and then Head of the North American Department in 1974, before becoming a Counsellor at Paris
in 1975 and was awarded the CMG
in 1978.
In 1979 he became Assistant Under-Secretary at the Foreign Commonwealth Office and his final diplomatic post was as British Ambassador to Spain from 1984-89, for which he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic in 1986. He was promoted to KCMG in 1986 and then KCVO in 1989. Gordon-Lennox was then a Governor of the BBC
from 1990 and retired in 1998. He died in 2004, aged 73.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, KCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(31 January 1931 – 11 October 2004), the younger son of the 9th Duke of Richmond
Frederick Gordon-Lennox, 9th Duke of Richmond
Frederick Charles Gordon-Lennox, 9th Duke of Richmond, 9th Duke of Lennox, 4th Duke of Gordon was a British peer, engineer, racing driver and motor racing promoter....
and his wife, Elizabeth, was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
diplomat
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
.
He was raised at the family home of Goodwood House
Goodwood House
Goodwood House is a country house in West Sussex in southern England. It is the seat of the Dukes of Richmond. Several architects have contributed to the design of the house, including James Wyatt. It was the intention to build the house to a unique octagonal layout, but only three of the eight...
before being sent with his elder brother, Charles
Charles Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond
Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, 10th Duke of Richmond, 10th Duke of Lennox and 5th Duke of Gordon is a British Peer. He was styled Lord Settrington until 1935 and Earl of March and Kinrara between 1935 and 1989, and is currently styled His Grace The Duke of Richmond, Lennox and Gordon.The son of...
, to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1944 to join Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and later won a scholarship to read History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
.
After graduation and National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
with the King's Royal Rifle Corps
King's Royal Rifle Corps
The King's Royal Rifle Corps was a British Army infantry regiment, originally raised in colonial North America as the Royal Americans, and recruited from American colonists. Later ranked as the 60th Regiment of Foot, the regiment served for more than 200 years throughout the British Empire...
, he joined HM Foreign Service
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
in 1954 and became Private Secretary to the British Ambassador to the United States, Sir Harold Caccia in 1957, for which he was awarded the LVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
. He transferred to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
in 1961 as Second, then First Secretary at Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. In 1963, he returned to England again to become Private Secretary to Caccia again, in the latter's post as Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, before moving to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
as Head of the Chancery in 1966.
After a brief secondment at the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
from 1971-73, he became Head of the News Department at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and then Head of the North American Department in 1974, before becoming a Counsellor at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1975 and was awarded the CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
in 1978.
In 1979 he became Assistant Under-Secretary at the Foreign Commonwealth Office and his final diplomatic post was as British Ambassador to Spain from 1984-89, for which he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic in 1986. He was promoted to KCMG in 1986 and then KCVO in 1989. Gordon-Lennox was then a Governor of the BBC
Board of Governors of the BBC
The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust on 1 January 2007.The governors...
from 1990 and retired in 1998. He died in 2004, aged 73.