Background
Acland, Antony was born on March 12, 1930. Son of Philisophy B. E. Acland.
Acland, Antony was born on March 12, 1930. Son of Philisophy B. E. Acland.
He was educated at Eton College, then in 1948 joined the Royal Artillery with a post-war "emergency commission".
After short army service he went up to Christ Church, Oxford, gaining a Bachelor degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1953 (later upgraded to Master of Arts). After leaving Oxford in 1953 he went straight into the Foreign Office (FO). After studying at the Middle East Centre for Arab Studies, Acland was posted to Dubai and then Kuwait, then back to the FO as Assistant Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary (Selwyn Lloyd, then Lord Home) 1959-1962.
He then served at the United Kingdom Mission to the United Nations, first in New York 1962-1966, then at Geneva 1966-1968.
Back at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office he was head of the Arabian department 1970-1972. Acland was Principal Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary (Sir Alec Douglas-Home, then James Callaghan) 1972-1975.
He was Ambassador to Luxembourg 1975-1977 and to Spain 1977-1979. He was Deputy Under-Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 1979-1982, a post which then entailed chairing the Joint Intelligence Committee.
In 1982 he was promoted to Permanent Under-Secretary and head of the Diplomatic Service.
Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in April 1982 and Acland came into collision with the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, over the diplomatic response. At one point during a heated discusion he threatened to resign, whereupon Thatcher backed down and said "All right, no more Foreign Office bashing." Acland was Ambassador to the United States at Washington, District of Columbia, 1986-1991, then retired from the Diplomatic Service and was Provost of Eton College 1991–2000.
Acland was a member of the Founding Council of the Rothermere American Institute at Oxford, helping to raise funds for the Institute"s building and library.
Married Clare Anne Verdon, 1956 (deceased 1984). Married Jennifer McGougan, 1987. 3 children.