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Ritchie Charles Biography

Canadian diplomat whose career marked him as an important person in the history of Canadian foreign relations, yet he became famous through the publication of his diaries, first The Siren Years, and then three follow-ups. The diaries document both his diplomatic career and his private life, including his love affair with the Anglo-Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen. He joined the Department of External Affairs in 1934 eventually becoming Canada’s ambassador to West Germany (1954-1958), Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1958-1962), ambassador to the United States during the presidencies of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson (1962-1966), ambassador to the North Atlantic Council (1966-1967) and from 1967 to 1971 was Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom in London. In 1969 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. He died on 7 June 1995 in Ottawa at age 88. Link to Wikipedia biography Read less