David Hunt (diplomat)

Sir
David Hunt
British Ambassador to Brazil
In office
1969 (1969)–1973 (1973)
Preceded byJohn Russell
Succeeded byDerek Dodson
British High Commissioner to Nigeria
In office
1967 (1967)–1969 (1969)
Preceded byFrancis Cumming-Bruce
Succeeded byLeslie Glass
British High Commissioner to Cyprus
In office
1965 (1965)–1967 (1967)
Preceded byAlec Bishop
Succeeded byNorman Costar
Personal details
Born(1913-09-25)25 September 1913
Durham, England
Died30 July 1998(1998-07-30) (aged 84)
Alma materWadham College, Oxford
OccupationDiplomat
Military service
Branch/serviceBritish Army
Battles/warsWorld War II

Sir David Hunt KCMG OBE (25 September 1913 – 30 July 1998) was a British diplomat, perhaps best remembered as winner of the BBC's Mastermind television quiz in 1977.

Life and career

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Hunt was born in Durham, and studied at Wadham College, Oxford. He served with distinction in World War II, and entered the diplomatic service in 1947. He served as Private Secretary to prime ministers Clement Attlee and Winston Churchill, and was knighted in 1963. From 1965 to 1967 he was the British High Commissioner to Cyprus.[1]

From 1967 to 1969, he served as High Commissioner to Nigeria. Frederick Forsyth, then a journalist in Nigeria and later a successful novelist, described Hunt as "a snob and a racist"[2] representing the diplomatic corps whose "blithering incompetence" failed to appreciate or deal with the tensions that erupted into the Nigerian Civil War.[3] Forsyth claimed that Hunt was responsible for Britain's complete misreading of the war, contributing to the deaths of millions of Biafrans, particularly starving children.[2]

Subsequently, beginning in 1969, Hunt was British Ambassador to Brazil, retiring in 1973. In 1975, he published On the spot: an ambassador remembers about his tenure in Brazil.[1]

Retirement

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Hunt was appointed chairman of the Governors of the Commonwealth Institute in 1973.[4][5] He joined the board of directors of The Observer around 1977.[1][5] In addition to writing, Hunt was a frequent reviewer for The Times Literary Supplement.[1] He later served as President of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies from 1986-1990.[6][1]

Mastermind

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Hunt won the Mastermind title in 1977 and was runner-up in the Mastermind International of 1979.

In 1982, a Champion of Champions tournament among the first ten Mastermind champions was televised. Hunt won the overall title.

Publications

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Hunt had a number of books published:

  • A Don at War. London: F. Cass. 1990 [1966]. ISBN 978-0-7146-3383-1.
  • On the spot: an ambassador remembers. London: P. Davies. 1975. ISBN 978-0-432-06962-2.
  • Memoirs military and diplomatic (Revised ed.). London: Trigraph. 2006 [1998]. ISBN 978-0-947961-10-7. A revised edition of the two books A Don at war and On the spot: an ambassador remembers.
  • Footprints in Cyprus : an illustrated history. London: Trigraph. 1990 [1982]. ISBN 978-0-9508026-7-1.. Co-authored with J.N. Coldstream

Sources

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Obituary: Sir David Hunt". The Independent. 10 August 1998. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b Forsyth, Frederick (21 January 2020). "Buried for 50 years: Britain's shameful role in the Biafran war | Frederick Forsyth". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 January 2020.
  3. ^ Forsyth, Frederick (2015). The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue. NY, Putnams
  4. ^ Resignation of Lord Garner and appointment of Sir David Hunt as Chairman of the Board of... 1 January 1973.
  5. ^ a b JulianDavidHunt (12 April 2012). Sir David Hunt on Champion of Champions Mastermind series. Retrieved 4 July 2024 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "About Us | The Hellenic Journal | Study of Greek language". Hellenic Society. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
TBA
Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs to the Prime Minister
1950-1952
Succeeded by