Richard Arthur Woolcott was an Australian public servant, diplomat, author, and commentator.
16 Facts About Richard Woolcott
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Richard Woolcott's first posting in the diplomatic service was as third secretary at the Australian Embassy in Moscow.
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In 1967, Richard Woolcott drafted a speech for Prime Minister Harold Holt that said Australia was geographically part of Asia and that it was "a basic tenet of our national policy to live in friendship and understanding with our Asian neighbours".
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Between 1967 and 1970, Richard Woolcott was the Australian high commissioner to Ghana.
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Subsequently, Richard Woolcott was appointed Australia's ambassador to the Philippines between 1978 and 1982.
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American cables leaked by Wikileaks reveal that Richard Woolcott had been an informant to the US, providing consular officials with information of internal government processes during 1974.
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Richard Woolcott was the Australian ambassador to the United Nations from 1982 to 1988, and served as the president of the United Nations Security Council for Australia's term in November 1985.
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Richard Woolcott served as secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the most senior diplomatic position in Australia, from 1988 to 1992.
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On 4 June 2008, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced that Richard Woolcott had been appointed an envoy to conduct discussions to form a new Asian regional forum.
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From 1997, Richard Woolcott was the founding director of the Asia Society AustralAsia Centre.
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In 2003, Richard Woolcott wrote a personal memoir entitled The Hot Seat: Reflections on Diplomacy from Stalin's Death to the Bali Bombings, and he wrote a book called Undiplomatic Activities in 2007.
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Richard Woolcott was a supporter of the Australian Republican Movement, and gave the Inaugural National Republican Lecture in 2003.
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Richard Woolcott married Danish-born Birgit Christensen in London in July 1952 and the couple moved to Moscow shortly after the wedding.
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Richard Woolcott died in Canberra on 2 February 2023, at age 95.
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In July 2008, Richard Woolcott was selected as one of the inaugural fellows of the Australian Institute of International Affairs to highlight his distinction in and contribution to Australia's international affairs.
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Also that year, Richard Woolcott was awarded the Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop Asia Medal, in recognition of his contribution to Australia's relationships with Asia.