William Roy Hodgson
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Lieutenant Colonel William Hodgson CMG OBE |
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| Secretary of the Department of External Affairs | |
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In office 19 November 1935 – 21 June 1945 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
22 May 1892 Kingston, Victoria |
| Died | 24 January 1958 (aged 65) Sydney, New South Wales |
| Spouse(s) | Muriel Daisy McDowell |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne (LLB) |
| Occupation | AIF Officer, Public servant, Diplomat |
Lieutenant Colonel William Roy Hodgson CMG OBE (22 May 1892 – 24 January 1958) was an Australian soldier, public servant and diplomat. His significant achievements were being involved in the formation of the United Nations General Assembly and representing Australia internationally at many diplomatic conferences during the Second World War, and being a member of the drafting committee of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Born on 22 May 1892 in Kingston, Victoria, William Hodgson was educated at the School of Mines, Ballarat, and, as a member of the original class of 1911, at the Royal Military College, Duntroon, Australian Capital Territory. He graduated in 1914, was appointed to the First Australian Imperial Force and posted to Egypt before fighting in the Gallipoli Campaign. He was wounded by a Turkish sniper and was believed dead. He returned to Australia in 1917 after being awarded the Croix de Guerre avec palme.
He had married Muriel Daisy McDowell on 18 October 1919 at Christ Church, South Yarra, Melbourne. He was attached to the A.M.F. General Staff, Army Headquarters, in Melbourne in 1918 and became head of military intelligence in 1925. He was promoted major on 1 January 1926.
In his spare time Hodgson had acquired accountancy qualifications and studied law at the University of Melbourne, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in 1929. That year he was seconded for six months to the Development and Migration Commission.
He resigned from defence force service in 1934 and was granted the honorary rank of lieutenant-colonel continuing his involvement with military intelligence until 1936. In 1934 he became assistant secretary supervising that branch of the Prime Minister's Department which dealt with external affairs. In 1935 Hodgson was made Secretary of the Department of External Affairs. As adviser on foreign affairs he attended the 1937 Imperial Conference in London. By the time of his resignation as head of the department in 1945 he had contributed substantially to the development of a professional diplomatic service.
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