Sir Peter Richard Heydon (9 September 191315 May 1971) was an Australian public servant, policymaker, and diplomat. From 1961 to 1971 he was

Secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...

of the

Department of Immigration The Department of Immigration was an Australian government department that existed between July 1945 and June 1974. Scope Information about the department's functions and/or government funding allocation could be found in the Adminis ...

Life and career

Peter Heydon was born in Croydon, Sydney, on 9 September 1913. He was educated at

Fort Street Boys' High School , motto_translation = Each person is the maker of their own fortune , sister_school = Suginami Sogo High School, Tokyo, Japan , location = Parramatta Road, Petersham, Inner West Sydney, New South Wales , ...

, and in 1936 joined the

Commonwealth Public Service The Australian Public Service (APS) is the federal civil service of the Commonwealth of Australia responsible for the public administration, public policy, and public services of the departments and executive and statutory agencies of the G ...

in the Department of External Affairs, soon after having been admitted to the NSW bar. In 1942, Heydon married Muriel Naomi Slater, a Canadian who had been his personal assistant during his appointment to the staff of Richard Casey in Washington. In a eulogy after Heydon's death in 1971, Finlay Crisp described the couple's relationship as having "a tempo, a temper and a tone". From 1943 to 1944, Heydon served with the Australian legation to the Soviet Union which had just opened at the wartime capital of Kuibyshev. Between May and September 1950, Heydon was ''chargé d'affaires'' in charge of the Australian Embassy in the Netherlands. He was soon after appointed Minister to Brazil, serving until 1953. Between 1953 and 1955, Heydon was High Commissioner to New Zealand. He was subsequently appointed High Commissioner to India, serving in that position until 1958. From 1961 until his death in 1971, Heydon was Secretary of the Department of Immigration. He died of a heart attack on 15 May 1971, and was remembered by the prime minister,

William McMahon Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988) was an Australian politician who served as the 20th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1971 to 1972 as leader of the Liberal Party. He was a government minister for over 21 years, ...

, as one of the best-liked and respected public servants in Canberra. He was survived by his wife, Lady Heydon, and three children – two daughters and a son,

John Dyson Heydon John Dyson Heydon (born 1 March 1943) is a former Australian judge and barrister who served on the High Court of Australia from 2003 to 2013 and the New South Wales Court of Appeal from 2000 to 2003, and previously served as Dean of the Sydne ...

, who was later made a judge of the

High Court of Australia The High Court of Australia is Australia's apex court. It exercises original and appellate jurisdiction on matters specified within Australia's Constitution. The High Court was established following passage of the ''Judiciary Act 1903''. It ...

Awards

Heydon was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1959 for service as High Commissioner to India. He was made a Knight Bachelor in June 1970, for his service as Secretary of the Department of Immigration.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heydon, Peter 1913 births 1971 deaths Australian Knights Bachelor Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Ambassadors of Australia to Brazil Secretaries of the Australian Government Immigration Department High Commissioners of Australia to New Zealand High Commissioners of Australia to India