John Morgan (diplomat)

He served as First secretary of the Foreign Office. He was head of the Far Eastern Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1970 to 1972; and head of Cultural Relations Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1972 to 1980.^[5]

His foreign postings included: third secretary to Moscow from 1953 to 1956; at the unstable time of Stalin's death; second secretary to Peking, serving from 1956 to 1958. From 1963 to 1964, he was first secretary to Rio de Janeiro. His senior positions included first secretary and cultural attaché to Moscow from 1965 to 1967; Ambassador to South Korea from 1980 to 1983, and Ambassador to Poland from 1983 to 1986, and Ambassador to Mexico from 1986 to 1989.^[6]

Morgan was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1982 and Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1989.^[7]

On 26 July 1961, Morgan married The Hon. Fionn Frances Bride O'Neill (b. 1936), the only daughter of Ann Fleming née Charteris and, her first husband, Shane O'Neill, 3rd Baron O'Neill.^[1][2] At the time of their wedding, Ann was married to her third husband, James Bond author Ian Fleming.^[6][8] Before they divorced in 1975, John and Fiona were the parents of three children:^[9]

• Mary Ann Frances Morgan (b. 1962), who married barrister Charles Anthony Warneford Gibson, son of G/Capt. Phillip G. Gibson (members of the Huntingdonshire gentry), in 1989.^[9]
• John Edward Rustand Morgan (b. 1964), who married Natasha Clare MacDonnell, daughter of Robert Myles Randal MacDonnell and Elizabeth Clare Newman, in 1996.^[9]
• Catherine Martha Annabel Morgan (b. 1966)^[9]

After their divorce, he married Angela Mary Eleanor Rathbone in 1976,^[7] with whom he had another son and daughter.^[10] Lady Morgan has served as President of Greenbank since 2002, inheriting the position from her uncle, Dr. B. L. Rathbone.^[11] She is also the grandniece of Eleanor Rathbone, the campaigner for family allowance and for women's rights and MP for Combined English Universities.^[12]

Sir John died on 24 June 2012.^[4]

Through his daughter Mary Ann, he was a grandfather of Frederick John Philip Gibson (b. 1993), the English record producer, singer, songwriter.^[13][14]