Edward Mortimer

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For the former judge and politician in Nova Scotia, see Edward Mortimer (businessman).

Edward Mortimer

CMG
EdwardMortimer.jpg
Born(1943-12-22)22 December 1943
Burford, Oxfordshire, England
Died18 June 2021(2021-06-18) (aged 77)
EducationBalliol College, Oxford
All Souls College, Oxford
OccupationUN civil servant, journalist, author and academic
Spouse(s)Elizabeth Mortimer

Edward Mortimer CMG (22 December 1943 – 18 June 2021[1]) was a UN civil servant, journalist, author and academic. He was Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, from 2013.[2] From 2001 to 2006, he was the Director of Communications in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and was the chief speechwriter from 1998 to 2006.[3] He was the chair of the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice[4] from 2010 to 2015 and one of the key people integral to the creation of the Campaign.[5][6]

Mortimer was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 2010 New Year Honours.[7]

Early life and education[]

Edward Mortimer was born in Burford, Oxfordshire, the son of Robert Mortimer, Regius Professor of Moral Theology at Christ Church, Oxford and laterBishop of Exeter and his wife Mary.[8] Mortimer was a scholar at Eton College and studied history at Balliol College, Oxford, from 1962 to 1965, graduating with a congratulatory first, and was a Prize Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford, from 1965 to 1972.[3][2]

Career[]

Before university Mortimer went to Senegal to do Voluntary Service Overseas, and taught English for a short period in a lycée in St Louis. After leaving Oxford he went to Paris to do research for a Ph.D., but set it aside in 1967 when he was hired as a reporter in The Times Paris office. He returned to Oxford in 1970 to write a book on the French Communist Party. During his time in Paris he documented the student riots and the last days of Charles de Gaulle's presidency. Left-leaning in his politics, he later reflected that "For me, May 1968 was certainly the high point of the Sixties."[9] He went on to become a columnist and leader writer for the The Times and foreign affairs editor for the Financial Times.[3][2] Between 2007 and 2012 he was Senior Vice President of the Salzburg Global Seminar and was a member of the Advisory Council of Independent Diplomat.

Personal life[]

Mortimer married painter and sculptor Elizabeth Zanetti in Exeter in 1968; together they had four children.[1][2][10] He died of cancer on 18 June 2021, aged 77.[10][1][11]

Selected bibliography[]

  1. France and the Africans, 1944-60: A Political History Faber & Faber, 1969.
  2. Faith and Power, the politics of Islam Random House, New York, 1982.
  3. Roosevelt's Children: Tomorrow's World Leaders and Their World Hamish Hamilton Ltd, 1987.
  4. The World That FDR Built: Vision and Reality Scribner, 1989.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Peel, Quentin (20 June 2021). "Edward Mortimer, academic, journalist and UN official, 1943-2021". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Mortimer, Edward, (born 22 Dec. 1943), freelance writer and consultant; Distinguished Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford, since 2013". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u250694. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Edward Mortimer | All Souls College". www.asc.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  4. ^ "UNA-UK mourns the death of Edward Mortimer". United Nations Association – UK (UNA-UK). 23 June 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  5. ^ "In memory of Edward Mortimer (1943-2021)". Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  6. ^ Jason Burke (27 March 2014). "UN takes step towards Sri Lanka war crimes inquiry". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  7. ^ "No. 59282". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2009. p. 3.
  8. ^ "Edward Mortimer obituary". The Guardian. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Edward Mortimer obituary". The Times. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Edward Mortimer obituary". The Times. 23 June 2021. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  11. ^ "'His words set a standard and will long endure': UN mourns passing of Edward Mortimer". UN News. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.

External links[]


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