Denis Wright
|
Sir Denis Wright GCMG |
|
|---|---|
| British Ambassador to Iran | |
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In office 1963–1971 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Geoffrey Harrison |
| Succeeded by | Sir Peter Ramsbotham |
| British Ambassador to Ethiopia | |
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In office 1959–1962 |
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| Preceded by | Geoffrey Furlonge |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Russell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Denis Arthur Hepworth Wright 23 March 1911 Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England |
| Died | 18 May 2005 (aged 94) Haddenham, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Spouse(s) | Iona Carmen Craig (m. 1939–2005) |
| Alma mater | St Edmund Hall, Oxford |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Sir Denis Arthur Hepworth Wright, GCMG (23 March 1911 – 18 May 2005) was a British diplomat. A long-serving ambassador to Iran, Wright's expertise and knowledge of Iran and Persian culture led him to write and edit several books on the region, as well as conduct a covert mission to inform the deposed Shah of Iran that he would not be granted asylum in Britain.
Wright was born in 1911 in Kingston upon Thames (then in the county of Surrey), at the house of his father's parents. His father, Arthur Edgar Wright, was assistant director of public works in Hong Kong, where Wright spent his childhood attending the Peak School. In 1921, he returned with his family to England, where he attended Brentwood School in Essex.
From 1930 to 1932, Wright studied at the University of Oxford, reading modern history at St Edmund Hall, in which he graduated with a second-class degree. At the Oxford University Labour Club, Wright met Iona Craig, and they became engaged in 1938.
Wright unsuccessfully applied for a cadetship with the Colonial Service, then worked for a time in advertising and for the Gallahers tobacco company. Whilst on holiday in Romania in 1939, he was recruited by the British consul in Constanța to undertake economic work for the embassy while Romania sat on the brink of war. His fiancée Iona joined him in Romania, and they were married at the consulate that year. In 1940, Wright was posted to the British embassy in Bucharest, then left Romania in 1941 when the country joined the Axis Powers and ended relations with Britain. Wright was then transferred to Turkey, where he served as vice-consul in Trabzon, earning a commendation from the embassy in Ankara, and in 1943, he was appointed acting consul in the port city of Mersin.
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