John Leahy

Sir John Henry Gladstone Leahy, (7 February 1928 – 17 November 2015) was a senior British diplomat. He was Ambassador to South Africa from 1979 to 1982, and High Commissioner to Australia from 1984 to 1988. He later became Chairman of Lonrho. Early career Leahy was educated at Tonbridge School, Clare College, Cambridge and Yale University. After National Service in the RAF, Leahy joined the Foreign Office in 1952 at the age of 24. He began his career with a position in the Central Department as Desk Officer, responsible for dealing with the Soviet zone of post-WWII Germany (i.e., East Germany and occupied Austria). Diplomat Leahy became assistant private secretary to Selwyn Lloyd, Minister of State, who later became Foreign Secretary during the Suez crisis. Leahy also served as Foreign Office spokesman and was later seconded for a time to the Northern Ireland Office as Under-Secretary of State.