Patrick Shaw (diplomat)

Sir Patrick Shaw CBE
9th Ambassador of Australia to the United States
In office 21 February 1974 – 27 December 1975
Preceded by	James Plimsoll (Ambassador to the United States of America)
Succeeded by	Gordon Upton
Personal details
Born	Patrick Shaw (1913-09-18)18 September 1913 Kew, Victoria Australia
Died	27 December 1975(1975-12-27) (aged 62) Washington, D.C. United States
Spouse	Catherine Helen Jeffree ​ ​ (m. 1938)​
Children	Karina, Janet
Occupation	Public servant, diplomat

Sir Patrick Shaw CBE (18 September 1913 – 27 December 1975) was an Australian public servant and diplomat.[1][2]

Shaw joined the Department of External Affairs in 1939.[3] He worked in the Department's political section until 1941 when he was sent on his first overseas posting as third secretary in Australia's Tokyo legation. Shaw and other legation staff were taken as prisoners of war when war broke out.[4]

In 1973, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam announced Shaw's appointment as Ambassador to the United States.[5] While in the role, Shaw suffered a fatal heart attack. He died on 27 December 1975.[6] Ambassador Shaw's wife, Lady Shaw, was a victim of a street attack in Washington, D.C., for which she received ex gratia remuneration from the United States Government.[7][8]

Shaw's daughter, Karina Campbell (née Shaw) followed her father in working in the Australian diplomatic service. Karina Campbell joined the then-Department of External Affairs in 1963 and later held a range of senior positions in the Department.

References

1. Lee, David (2002). "Shaw, Sir Patrick (1913–1975)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 16. Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. ISBN 978-0-522-84459-7. ISSN 1833-7538. OCLC 70677943. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
2. Broinowski, Alison (7 December 2013). "Sexist baggage revealed". The Wimmera Mail-Times. Archived from the original on 7 February 2016.
3. "Mr Patrick Shaw to India". The Canberra Times. 2 March 1970. p. 1.
4. "Obituary: Sir Patrick Shaw gave 36 years' service". The Canberra Times. ACT. 29 December 1975. p. 3.
5. Davidson, Gay (27 September 1973). "Diplomatic reshuffle announced". The Canberra Times. p. 1.
6. "Ambassador to US dies". The Canberra Times. 29 December 1975. p. 1.
7. H.R. 13179: State Department Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1977. Committee on International Relations, United States House of Representatives. April 12, 1976.
8. Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 1977.

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by William Macmahon Ball	Australian Ambassador to Japan 1947–1949	Succeeded by William Roy Hodgson
Preceded by Bertram Ballard	Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Office in Geneva 1951–1953	Succeeded by Ralph Harry
Preceded by John Hood	Australian Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany 1956–1959	Succeeded by Alan Watt
Preceded by Laurence McIntyre	Australian Ambassador to Indonesia 1960–1962	Succeeded by Mick Shann
Preceded by David Hay	Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations 1965–1970	Succeeded by Laurence McIntyre
Preceded by Arthur Tange	Australian High Commissioner to India Australian Ambassador to Nepal 1970–1973	Succeeded by Bruce Grant
Preceded by James Plimsoll	Australian Ambassador to the United States 1974–1975	Succeeded by Gordon Upton as Charge d'Affaires