Sir Alexander Russell Downer Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Australian politician and diplomat generally known as Alick.
Background
Downer was born in Adelaide a member of the influential Downer family. His father Sir John Downer was a Premier of South Australia and member of the Australian Senate. His mother was Una Russell, daughter of Henry Chamberlain Russell, who remarried when Alick was 8, to D.’Arcy Wentworth Addison.
Education
He was educated at Geelong Grammar School and at Oxford University, where he graduated in economics and political science.
Career
Sir Alick"s son, Alexander Downer, also a Liberal politician, was Leader of the Opposition 1994-1995 and Foreign Minister of Australia 1996–2007. He was the godfather of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Earl"s godmother was Queen Elizabeth World War II After graduating from Oxford in 1932 he read law in London and in 1934 was admitted to the bar at Inner Temple.
Returning to Adelaide he joined the South Australian Bar in 1935.
He practised as a barrister until joining the Australian Army in 1940. He served in Malaya and was a prisoner-of-war for three years, where he set up a camp library and gave lessons to other prisoners.
He was promoted to sergeant for these efforts but the promotion was not recognised upon release. After the war Downer joined the newly formed Liberal Party of Australia and in 1949 he was elected to the House of Representatives for the rural based Division of Angas.
By invitation of the premier, Thomas Playford, he joined the board of the Electricity Trust of South Australia for three years and the Art Gallery board where he remained for seventeen years until his appointment as High Commissioner.
He was Minister for Immigration from 1958 to 1963. During office, migration laws were reformed which led to hundreds of thousands of migrants, mostly from Britain and Europe where new recruitment posts had been created. Many refugees were also accepted.
As a result of his experience as a prisoner of war, he arranged for non-criminal deportees to be held in detention centres instead of being sent to jail.
He retired from Parliament upon his appointment as Australian High Commissioner in London, a position he held until 1972. The building of the High Commission, Australia House, has a Downer Room on the first floor, named in his honour.
He was knighted in 1965, becoming Sir Alexander Downer. He was made a Freeman of the City of London in 1965.
Membership
Downer was a member of the Australian House of Representatives between 1949 and 1963 before serving as Australian High Commissioner to London between 1963 and 1972.