Sir Arthur Michael PalliserGCMG, PC (9 April 1922 – 19 June 2012)[1] was a seniorBritishdiplomat who served as thePermanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs from 1975 to 1982.
Born inReigate,Surrey, the son ofAdmiral Sir Arthur Palliser, he received his education atWellington College andMerton College, Oxford.[2][3] Appointed aSecond Lieutenant 21 November 1942, he served in theColdstream Guards duringWorld War II.[3][4] In 1947, he joined the British Diplomatic Service and held a number of appointments at home and abroad including Head of the Policy Planning Staff, Private Secretary to theprime minister,Minister at the British Embassy inParis,Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the European Communities, and, from 1975 to 1982,Permanent Under-Secretary of State and Head of the Diplomatic Service. From April to July 1982, during the Falklands campaign, he served as Special Adviser to the Prime Minister in the Cabinet Office.
He was appointed a member of thePrivy Council in 1983.[5] That same year, he joined the board of the London investment bankSamuel Montagu & Co., a subsidiary of theMidland Bank, of which he became a deputy chairman. He was chairman of Samuel Montagu from 1984 to 1993, then vice chairman until his retirement in 1996.
From 1983 to 1992, he was non-executive director of several industrial companies.[2] From 1986 to 1994, he was a member of the board of the RoyalNational Theatre. Sir Michael served on the faculty of many Salzburg Seminar Sessions.
In 1948, Sir Michael married Marie Marguerite Spaak, daughter of Belgian statesmanPaul-Henri Spaak.[3] They had three sons:Anthony, a painter, Peter, a screenwriter, and Nicholas, a communication executive consultant.[1]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister 1966–1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Newly created appointment | Permanent Representatives to the European Economic Community 1973–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Permanent Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1975–1982 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
