Nationality Australian | ||
Full Name James William Crawford Cumes Occupation Diplomat, economist, author Spouse(s) Heide Schulte von Bäuminghaus Books Haverleigh, America's Suicidal Statecraft, Inflation!: A Study in Stability, Sex and the Short Story, Uncle Rupert: The Man | ||
James William Crawford Cumes (born June 23, 1922) is an Australian author and economist and a former public servant and diplomat.
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Life and career
Cumes was born in Rosewood, Queensland in 1922. He was educated at Wooloowin State School and Brisbane Grammar School, before matriculating to the University of Queensland.
During World War II, Cumes fought on the Kokoda Track.
Over the course of his diplomatic career, Cumes was High Commissioner to Nigeria (1965–1967), Ambassador to Belgium (1975–1977), Ambassador to Austria and Hungary (1977–1980), and Ambassador to the Netherlands (1980–1984).
In his 1988 book A Bunch of Amateurs, Cumes critiqued the performance of Australia's foreign ministers, offering an unfavourable assessment of then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Bill Hayden.
In a review of Cumes' 1990 book How to Become a Millionaire Without Really Working that appeared in The Canberra Times, Peter Bowler praised Cumes for his sunny, cheerful, sensible and interesting take on money-making.