Robert David Jackson (26 December 1934 – 9 May 2021) was a Canadian diplomat who served in various international roles, including as Canadian Ambassador to Syria and Lebanon from 1982 to 1984.

Early life and education

Jackson was born in London, United Kingdom, on 26 December 1934. As a child, he survived the

London Blitz London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. After the war, he emigrated to Canada with his mother and sister, settling in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, British Columbia. Jackson attended

Lord Byng Secondary School Lord Byng Secondary School is a Public education, public secondary school located in the West Point Grey neighbourhood on the west side of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It opened in 1925 and was named in honour of the then Governor Gener ...

, graduating as valedictorian in 1952. He pursued studies in international and political science at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

from 1952 to 1956 and later attended

Hamburg University The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen''), the Hamburg Colon ...

in 1955 and the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

from 1956 to 1960. Jackson was a recipient of the IODE War Memorial Scholarship in 1958, an award granted for academic excellence in his field.

Diplomatic career

Jackson joined the Canadian Department of External Affairs in 1960 and began a diplomatic career representing Canada abroad. His early assignments included postings in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, and

Laos Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...

. In 1982, he was appointed the Canadian Ambassador to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. Jackson was one of the last embassy members to remain in Beirut during the 1984 international evacuation.

Later life and legacy

Following his retirement in 1997, Jackson returned to Canada, settling in Seeley Cove, New Brunswick. He spent his final years at the Fundy Nursing Home in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, where he died peacefully on 9 May 2021 at the age of 86.

Personal life

Jackson was predeceased by his parents, Mary Louise Jackson and Geoffrey Cecil Roberts Jackson, as well as his sister, Valerie Rosemary Walker.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Robert David 1934 births 2021 deaths People from Vancouver People from Charlotte County, New Brunswick University of British Columbia alumni Ambassadors of Canada to Syria Ambassadors of Canada to Lebanon

Early life and education

Diplomatic career

Later life and legacy

Personal life

See also

References