Douglas Busk
Douglas Laird Busk KCMG (15 July 1906 – 11 December 1990) was a British diplomat, mountaineer and geographer.[1][2]
Personal life
[edit]Busk was born on 15 July 1906 and educated at Eton and New College, Oxford, also spending some time at Princeton University.[1] He married Bridget Hemsley Thompson in 1937, and they had two daughters. She was an artist and her line drawings illustrate his 1957 book The Fountain of the Sun . He died on 11 December 1990, aged 84, at Chilbolton.[2][1]
Diplomatic career
[edit]Busk joined the diplomatic service in 1927 and served in countries including Iran, Hungary, Japan, Turkey and Iraq. He served as Britain's ambassador to Ethiopia (1952-1956), Finland (1958-1960) and Venezuela (1961-1964).[2]
Mountaineering
[edit]Busk was a notable mountaineer, gaining membership of the Alpine Club while an undergraduate, after making the first winter ascent of the north face of Pic du Midi d'Ossau.[1] His obituary in The Times said that his "greatest contribution" was his work as chairman of the library of the Alpine Club, culminating in the production of a 600-page catalogue and the 1981 exhibition "The Treasures of the Alpine Club".[2]
Recognition
[edit]Busk was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 1959 Birthday Honours.[3]
The Royal Geographical Society, of which he was honorary vice-president, awards an annual Busk Medal named in his honour.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Band, George; Peck, Edward (1991). "Obituary: Sir Douglas Busk, KCMG 1906-1990". The Geographical Journal. 157 (2): 242–244. ISSN 0016-7398.
- ^ a b c d "Sir Douglas Busk (obituary)". The Times. 20 December 1990. p. 12.
- ^ "No. 41727". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 June 1959. p. 3701.
- ^ "A history of the Society's medals and awards". Royal Geographical Society. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
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