Monarch Elizabeth II Name John Fretwell | Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher | |
Born 15 June 1930 (age 94) ( 1930-06-15 ) Alma mater University of LausanneKing's College, Cambridge | ||
Mansfield MBS Show (John Fretwell Centre)
Sir John Emsley Fretwell, (15 June 1930 – 30 March 2017) was a British diplomat.
Contents
- Mansfield MBS Show John Fretwell Centre
- Mansfield Mind Body and Spirit Show John Fretwell Centre
- Career
- Personal life
- References
Mansfield Mind Body and Spirit Show (John Fretwell Centre)
Career
Fretwell was educated at Chesterfield Grammar School, the University of Lausanne and King's College, Cambridge. He served in the Royal Regiment of Artillery 1948–50 and joined the Diplomatic Service in 1953. He served in Hong Kong, Peking, Moscow and Washington, D.C., as Commercial Counsellor in Warsaw 1971–73, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London as Head of the European Integration Department 1973–76 and as Assistant Under-Secretary 1976–79. He was Minister in Washington, D.C. 1980–81, British Ambassador to France 1982–87 and Political Director and Deputy to the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 1987–90.
After retiring from the Diplomatic Service, Fretwell was a member of the Council of Lloyd's 1991–92, specialist adviser to the House of Lords 1992–93 and specialist assessor for the Higher Education Funding Council 1995–96. He was also chairman of the Franco-British Society 1995–2005.
Fretwell was appointed CMG in 1975, knighted KCMG in 1982, and promoted to GCMG in 1987.
He died on 30 March 2017 at the age of 86.
Personal life
In 1959 Fretwell married Mary Dubois, who as Lady Fretwell founded "Passports for Pets" to create an alternative to the quarantine system for cats and dogs entering and returning to the UK. She was appointed OBE in the 2001 New Year Honours for services to pet owners and animal welfare.