Ewen Fergusson

This article is about the former diplomat and rugby player. For his son, see Ewen Alexander Nicholas Fergusson. For the golfer, see Ewen Ferguson.

Sir Ewen Alastair John Fergusson GCMG GCVO (28 October 1932 – 20 April 2017)^[1] was a British diplomat and Scotland international rugby union player.^[2]

Sir
Ewen Fergusson
GCMG GCVO

Birth name	Ewen Alastair John Fergusson
Date of birth	(1932-10-28)28 October 1932
Date of death	20 April 2017(2017-04-20) (aged 84)
Place of death	Vaison-la-Romaine, France
School	Rugby School
University	Oriel College, Oxford
Rugby union career
Position(s) Lock Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) - Oxford University () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 1954 Scotland 5 (0)

The son of Sir Ewen MacGregor Field Fergusson, formerly Chairman and Managing Director of the Straits Trading Company, Singapore, and Winifred Evelyn Fergusson, he was educated at Rugby and Oriel College, Oxford.

Rugby Union career

Amateur career

He played rugby for Oxford University.^[3]

International career

Fergusson was capped by Scotland in 1954. He gained 5 caps.^[4]

Diplomatic career

He was a 2nd Lieutenant with the 60th Rifles.^[5] After 2 years with the King's Royal Rifle Corps, he entered Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service in 1956.

He was British Ambassador to South Africa 1982–84, deputy under secretary of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1984–87 and British Ambassador to France 1987–92.

Honours

He was an honorary fellow of Oriel College, Oxford and holds an honorary LLD from Aberdeen University. He was appointed KCMG in the 1987 Birthday Honours,^[6] GCVO in 1992,^[7] GCMG in the 1993 New Year Honours,^[8] and a Grand Officier of the Légion d'Honneur. He served as King of Arms of the Order of St Michael and St George from 1996 until 2007.^[9]

Business career

He was Chairman of Coutts from 1993 to 1999, and of the Savoy Hotel Group 1994–98. He was Chairman of the governors of Rugby School from 1995 to 2002 and a trustee of the National Gallery from 1995 to 2002.

Family

Fergusson married Sara Carolyn Montgomery Cuninghame (nee Gordon Lennox) and they were to have a son, also named Ewen, and daughters Iona and Anna.^[5] His son was also to attend Oriel College, Oxford.^[10]

References

1. "FERGUSSON - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements". announcements.telegraph.co.uk.
2. A & C Black (2012). "FERGUSSON, Sir Ewen (Alastair John)". Who's Who 2012, online edition. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
3. The Essential History of Rugby Union: Scotland. Nick Oswald and John Griffiths.
4. "Rugby Union - ESPN Scrum - Statsguru - Player analysis - Ewen Fergusson - Test matches". ESPN scrum.
5. "Obituary: Sir Ewen Fergusson, rugby international and diplomat". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
6. "No. 50948". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1987. p. 3.
7. "No. 52977". The London Gazette. 30 June 1992. p. 10977.
8. "No. 53153". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1992. p. 3.
9. "No. 54471". The London Gazette. 19 July 1996. p. 9759.
10. "Cameron's cronies: The Bullingdon Club's class of '87". The Independent. 13 February 2007.

Sources

• Debrett's People of Today, 2007

External links

• Interview with Sir Ewen Alastair John Fergusson & transcript, British Diplomatic Oral History Programme, Churchill College, Cambridge, 1998
• Ewen Fergusson at IMDb

Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Sir Stephen Barrett	Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary 1975-1978	Succeeded by George Walden
Preceded by Sir John Leahy	British Ambassador to South Africa 1982-1984	Succeeded by Sir Patrick Moberly
Preceded by Sir John Fretwell	British Ambassador to France 1987-1992	Succeeded by Sir Christopher Mallaby