John McCarthy (Australian diplomat)

Born in Washington, D.C., McCarthy was educated at Downside School, Somerset, in England and studied at Jesus College, Cambridge. He received a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Cambridge University.^[1] He was a barrister-at-law and practised in London from 1965 to 1967. He worked with the New York City Law Firm of Shearman & Sterling from 1966 to 1967 and joined the Department of External Affairs in Canberra in 1968.^[2]

McCarthy was senior private secretary to the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Andrew Peacock, between December 1978 and November 1980. Peacock later succeeded McCarthy as Australian Ambassador to the United States in 1997.

McCarthy served as Australia's representative in the following posts:

• Ambassador to Vietnam (1981–83)
• Ambassador to Mexico (1985–87)^[3]
• Ambassador to Thailand (1992–94)
• Ambassador to the United States (1995–1997)
• Ambassador to Indonesia (1997–2001)^[4]
• Ambassador to Japan (2001–2004)^[5]
• High Commissioner to India (2004–2009).^[6]

He also served in diplomatic posts in Damascus, Baghdad and Vientiane.

McCarthy was appointed an Officer of the Order for Australia (AO) in 1999 for service to the enhancement of Australia's international reputation and to the development of Australian regional policy while serving as Australia's Ambassador to Indonesia in Jakarta.^[7]

McCarthy has two daughters with ex-wife Zorica McCarthy.^[8]

• Officer of the Order of Australia (1999)
• Order of the Rising Sun, 2nd Class, Gold and Silver Star (2020)