William Douglass Forsyth (5 January19093 March 1993) was an Australian public servant and diplomat. Over the course of his tenure, he was noted for his work both within the United Nations, and in promoting Southern Pacific countries internationally. In 1959, Forsyth was appointed Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, a role which he served in until 1961. During his appointment, he was also appointed Minister to Laos.
Forsyth died on 3 March 1993, aged 84, in Canberra.
Early life
Forsyth was born in Casterton, Victoria where he spent his childhood. He attended Ballarat High School in 1921 and graduated in 1924. He then became a student teacher and received a Melbourne Teachers' College studentship in 1927, which allows him to study and obtain his degree in political science and history at the University of Melbourne.
Oral History
An oral history interviewed by Mel Pratt, can be found at the National Library of Australia.
References
Further reading
- 'Forsyth, William Douglass (1909âÂÂ1993)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/forsyth-william-douglass-27737/text35938
- William Douglas Forsyth, The Myth of Open Spaces: Australian, British and World Trends of Population and Migration, MUP/OUP, Melbourne/London, 1942.
- Chad J. Mitcham, 'Forsyth, William Douglass (1909âÂÂ1993)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/forsyth-william-douglass-bill-27737/text35421, published online 2018.
- National Library of Australia, MS 5700: 'Papers of William Douglass Forsyth, 1875âÂÂ1993'.
- 'Obituary: WILLIAM DOUGLASS FORSYTH, OBE', The Canberra Times, 8 March 1993, p. 12, https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/127200531.
- South Pacific Commission. Meeting House of the Pacific: The Story of the SPC, 1947âÂÂ2007, Nouméa, New Caledonia: SPC Secretariat, 2007.