Guide to the Papers of Sir Frederick Wheeler, 1924-1994

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Summary

Collection number:
MS 8096
Creator:
Sir Frederick Wheeler
Extent:
9.58 metres and (42 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Sir Frederick Wheeler, National Library of Australia, MS 8096, [box number and series and/or file number]'.
Availability:
Available
Access conditions:
Part available for research; part requires permission for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

The bulk of the papers in this collection comprise files which relate to Wheeler's time as Chairman of the Public Service Board (1960-71) and as Secretary of the Commonwealth Treasury (1971-79).

There are a large number of files of 'green' copies of Wheeler's outward correspondence, memoranda and circulars, created when he was Chairman of the Public Service Board.

There are also biographical and subject files maintained by Wheeler and containing material mostly accumulated after his retirement in 1979, appointment diaries (1961-94) and papers relating to Wheeler's association with the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and the Commonwealth Club in Canberra.

There are very few personal papers in this collection. There are also no papers relating to Wheeler's early career and very few relating to his time with the International Labour Organisation in Geneva.

Correspondence in Series 1 comprises mostly short letters, either expressing support for Wheeler during a time of crisis in 1975 or congratulating him on his retirement in 1979. Correspondents include Sir Arthur Tange, Lady Violet Braddon, Sir John Bunting, H.C. Coombs, Sir Ernest Coates, Sir James Darling, Sir John Egerton, Bill Hayden, Bob Law-Smith, James McNeill, Sir Robert Menzies, Sir John Nott, Sir John Overall, Sir James Plimsoll, Ross Shelmerdine, Jim Short, Keith Sinclair, David Smith, Sir Geoffrey Yeend and Gough Whitlam. Series 2 also contains letters from Sir Douglas Copland, J.B. Chifley, Sir William Dunk and Norman Watt.

Biographical Note:
Date Event
1914 Born 9 January, the son of A.H. Wheeler
1920-23 Trinity Grammar School, Melbourne
1924-29 Scotch College, Melbourne
1930-39 Officer of the State Savings Bank of Victoria
1939 Married Peggy Hilda Bell
1939 Bachelor of Commerce, University of Melbourne
1939 Seconded to the Commonwealth Prices Branch as Economic Assistant to the Prices Commissioner
1939 Research Officer, Department of the Treasury
1941-47 Secretary, Financial and Economic Committee
1944 Member of Australian Delegation to the International Monetary Conference, Bretton Woods, USA and the British Commonwealth Conference, London
1946 Assistant Secretary, Department of the Treasury
1947-49 Secretary, Investment and Employment Committee
1948 Delegation member, led by Prime Minister J.B. Chifley, Economic and Financial Discussions, London
1948 Delegation member, led by Minister for External Affairs H.V. Evatt, to Prime Ministers' Conference, London
1948-51 Treasury observer, Commonwealth Bank Advisory Council
1949 First Assistant Secretary, Department of the Treasury
1949 Delegation member, led by Prime Minister Chifley, to the Prime Ministers' Conference, London
1949 Delegation member, led by Minister for Post-war Reconstruction John Dedman, to the British Commonwealth Conference of Finance Ministers, London
1949 Delegation leader, General Economic and Trade Talks, New Zealand
1950 Delegation member, led by Minister for External Affairs Percy Spender, to British Commonwealth Conference, Colombo
1950 Delegation member, led by Prime Minister R.G. Menzies, to United Kingdom and United States of America
1950 Delegation leader, negotiations for first contract with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
1952 Acting Secretary to the Treasury
1952 Appointed an Officer of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire
1953-60 Treasurer-comptroller of the International Labour Office (ILO), Geneva
1960-71 Chairman, Commonwealth Public Service Board
1962 Promoted an Ordinary Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, in recognition of outstanding public service
1967 Created a Knight Bachelor for distinguished public service
1966-69 President, Commonwealth Club, Canberra
1969-72 Member, International Civil Service Advisory Board
1970 Australian Government representative on the Joint Committee on the Public Service set up by the ILO Governing Body
1971-79 Secretary to the Treasury
1975 Death of Peggy Wheeler
1975 Retired from the Commonwealth Public Service
1979 Appointed a Companion in the General Division of the Order of Australia for public service
1979 Presented the Robert Garran Memorial Oration
1979-84 Director, Amatil Ltd
1979-86 Director, Alliance Holdings Ltd
1981-82 Member, Commonwealth Government Defence Review Committee
1984 Appointed a Fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Public Administration, in recognition of an outstanding contribution made to the achievement of the Institute's objectives
1991-94 National President, Winston Churchill Memorial Trust
Provenance:

The papers were acquired by the Library in two instalments. The first was received from Sir Frederick Wheeler in 1971 and the second from his son Philip Wheeler in 1995.

Arrangement:

The files in this collection have been grouped into series by the Library. However, Wheeler's file titles have been retained and file descriptions in each series commence with this title.

The 'green' copies of Wheeler's outward correspondence, memoranda and circulars, created when he was Chairman of the Public Service Board have been arranged by Wheeler into several categories, and this arrangement has been retained.

Indexed terms

Names:
Sir Frederick Wheeler

Access and use

Conditions Governing Access:
Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn2340223).
Conditions Governing Use:
Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.
Preferred citation:
Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Sir Frederick Wheeler, National Library of Australia, MS 8096, [box number and series and/or file number]'.
Location of this collection:
Parkes Place
Canberra ACT 2600, Australia
Contact:
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