| 词条 | Alick Downer |
| 释义 |
| honorific-prefix = The Honourable | name = Sir Alick Downer | birth_name = Alexander Russell Downer | honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=AUS|size=100%|KBE}} | image = AlexanderDowner1958.jpg | constituency_MP = Angas | parliament = Australian | predecessor = New seat | successor = Geoffrey Giles | term_start = 10 December 1949 | term_end = 23 April 1964 | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1910|4|7}} | birth_place = North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia | death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1981|3|30|1910|4|7}} | death_place = Tanunda, South Australia, Australia | nationality = Australian | spouse = {{marriage|Mary Gosse|23 April 1947}} | party = Liberal Party of Australia | parents = John William Downer and Una Stella Haslingden Downer (née Russell) | children = Alexander Downer | residence = Arbury Park | alma_mater = University of Oxford | profession = Barrister | nickname = |allegiance = Australia |branch = Second Australian Imperial Force |serviceyears = 1940–1945 |rank = Sergeant |unit = 2/14th Field Regiment |battles = Second World War
}} Sir Alexander Russell "Alick" Downer {{post-nominals|country=AUS|KBE}} (7 April 1910 – 30 March 1981) was an Australian politician and diplomat. He was a member of the House of Representatives between 1949 and 1963, representing the Liberal Party, and served as Minister for Immigration in the Menzies Government. He was later High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 1963 to 1972. Family, early life and careerDowner was born in Adelaide as a member of the influential Downer family. His father, Sir John Downer, was a Premier of South Australia and a member of the Australian Senate.[1] His mother was Una Russell, daughter of Henry Chamberlain Russell, who remarried when Alick was 8, to D’Arcy Wentworth Addison.[2][3] Sir Alick's son, Alexander Downer, also a Liberal politician, was Leader of the Opposition 1994–95 and Foreign Minister of Australia 1996–2007. He was educated at Geelong Grammar School and at the University of Oxford, where he graduated in economics and political science. He was the godfather of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Earl's godmother was Queen Elizabeth II. After graduating from Oxford in 1932 he read law in London, and in 1934 he was admitted to the bar at Inner Temple. Returning to Adelaide, he joined the South Australian Bar in 1935. He practised as a barrister until joining the Australian Army in 1940. He served in Malaya and was a prisoner-of-war for three years,[4] where he set up a camp library and gave lessons to other prisoners. He was promoted to sergeant due to these efforts, but the promotion was not recognised upon his release.[5] His book Six prime ministers (Robert Menzies, John Gorton, Harold Holt, Harold Wilson, Edward Heath, Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough) was published in 1982.[6] Political careerAfter the war, Downer joined the newly formed Liberal Party of Australia, and in 1949 he was elected to the House of Representatives for the rural-based Division of Angas. By invitation of the premier, Thomas Playford, he joined the board of the Electricity Trust of South Australia for three years and the Art Gallery board where he remained for seventeen years until his appointment as High Commissioner.[7] He served as Minister for Immigration from 1958 to 1963. During his term in office, migration laws were reformed, which led to the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants, mostly from Britain and Europe, where new recruitment posts had been created. Many refugees were also accepted. As a result of his experience as a prisoner of war, he arranged for non-criminal deportees to be held in detention centres instead of being sent to jail.[8] Diplomatic careerHe retired from Parliament upon his appointment as Australian High Commissioner in London,[9] a position he held until 1972. The building of the High Commission, Australia House, has a Downer Room on the first floor, named in his honour.[10] Downer was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1965 Birthday Honours.[11] He was made a Freeman of the City of London in 1965. Personal lifeOn 23 April 1947, he married Mary Gosse, daughter of Sir James Gosse, whom he had met at a cocktail party in Adelaide.[12] Together they had four children, Stella Mary (born 1948), Angela (born 1949), Alexander John Gosse (born 1951) and Una Joanna (born 1955). See also
References1. ^{{cite web | url=http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/downer-sir-alexander-russell-alick-12434 |title=Downer, Sir Alexander Russell (Alick) (1910–1981)|work=Australian Dictionary of Biography|publisher=Australian National University|accessdate=30 May 2012}} 2. ^{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article123226399 |title=Interesting Weddings. |newspaper=Sunday Times (Sydney, NSW : 1895 – 1930) |location=Sydney, NSW |date=2 March 1919 |accessdate=3 February 2016 |page=2 |publisher=National Library of Australia}} 3. ^Downer, Alick (2012). The Downers of South Australia, p. 114. Wakefield Press, Adelaide. {{ISBN|9781743051993}} 4. ^AUSTRALIAN PRISONERS of WAR – World War 2 5. ^Downer, Alick (2012). The Downers of South Australia, p. 123. Wakefield Press, Adelaide. {{ISBN|9781743051993}} 6. ^{{cite book | url=http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/1854912 | title=Six prime ministers | publisher=Hill of Content | author=Downer, Alexander | year=1982 | location=Melbourne | pages=324 | isbn=0855721294}} 7. ^Downer, Alick (2012). The Downers of South Australia, p. 124. Wakefield Press, Adelaide. {{ISBN|9781743051993}} 8. ^{{cite web |author= Hancock, I.R. |url= http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/downer-sir-alexander-russell-alick-12434|title= Downer, Sir Alexander (Alick), 1910 – 1981|date = 2007 |website= Australian Dictionary of Biography |accessdate= 2 May 2014 }} 9. ^{{cite news| url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/Opinion/A-journey-into-Downers-dark-past/2005/05/31/1117305617682.html | work=The Sydney Morning Herald | title=A journey into Downer's dark past | date=1 June 2005}} 10. ^{{cite web |url= http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;search=list_code%3DCHL%3Blegal_status%3D35%3Bkeyword_PD%3D0%3Bkeyword_SS%3D0%3Bkeyword_PH%3D0;place_id=106165|title= Australia House, The Strand, London, OS, United Kingdom|date = 2014 |website= Australian Heritage Database |accessdate= 2 May 2014 }} 11. ^{{London Gazette |issue=43668 |date=4 June 1965 |page=5508 |supplement=yes}} 12. ^Downer, Alick (2012). The Downers of South Australia, p. 125. Wakefield Press, Adelaide. {{ISBN|9781743051993}} External links
16 : 1910 births|1981 deaths|Australian people of English descent|Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia|Members of the Cabinet of Australia|Australian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire|Australian politicians awarded knighthoods|Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Angas|Members of the Australian House of Representatives|People educated at Geelong Grammar School|People from Adelaide|Downer family|High Commissioners of Australia to the United Kingdom|Permanent Representatives of Australia to the International Maritime Organization|Freemen of the City of London|20th-century Australian politicians |
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