Guide to the Papers of Sir James Plimsoll, 1928-1987

Summary

Collection number:

MS 8048

Creator:

Sir James Plimsoll

Extent:

12.6 metres and (81 ms boxes + 1 medium folio box + 7 sound/av carriers)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Sir James Plimsoll, National Library of Australia, MS 8048, [series and/or file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for research with the exception of three folders. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

A very large proportion of the material comprised publications and the collection is very strong in art exhibition catalogues, theatre and concert programs, travel and tourist literature, Russian and Japanese language material, and newspaper cuttings. Much of the published material was of no biographical interest and duplicated material held in the Library's general collections. As a result, almost half of the material received in 1990 was discarded by the Library.

The Plimsoll Papers contain a few documents dating from Plimsoll's early years, but the collection as a whole is very uneven. There is virtually nothing on his war service, his activities in the Far East after 1945, or on his early diplomatic career. With the exception of a long run of diaries, material on his work as a diplomat is scanty; nearly all the files he retained in the period 1948-82 are in the Australian Archives. There is, however, quite a lot of information about his social and cultural activities in this period. By far the strongest segment of the papers were accumulated during his term as Governor of Tasmania and includes an extensive personal correspondence, as well as photographs and publications.

With the exception of some of the Tasmanian papers, the Plimsoll Papers were unfiled and in extreme disorder when they came to the Library. The present arrangement has been imposed by Library staff.

The official and semi-official papers of Plimsoll held at the National Archives of Australia occupy 3.69 metres of shelving (M2203).

Biographical Note:

Date	Event
1917	Born, 25 April, at Sydney
1929-33	Educated at Sydney Boys' High School
1938	Graduated as Bachelor of Economics, University of Sydney
1938	Appointed economist, Bank of New South Wales
1941	Graduated as Bachelor of Arts, University of Sydney
1942	Enlisted in Australian Imperial Forces
1945	Member of Australian delegation, Far Eastern Commission
1948	Appointed First Secretary, Department of External Affairs
1950	Australian representative on United Nations Commission for Unification and Rehabilitation of Korea
1953	Returned to Department of External Affairs
1955	Assistant Secretary, Geographical Regions Division, Department of External Affairs
1956	Awarded C.B.E.
1959	Australian Permanent Representative to United Nations
1962	High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to Nepal
1962	Awarded knighthood
1965	Secretary, Department of External Affairs
1970	Ambassador to United States of America
1974	Ambassador to Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
1976	Awarded A.C.
1977	Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and European Economic Community
1980	High Commissioner to United Kingdom
1981	Ambassador to Japan
1982	Governor of Tasmania
1984	Admitted to degree of Doctor of Science in Economics, University of Sydney
1987	Admitted to degree of Doctor of Laws, University of Tasmania
1987	Died, 8 May, at Hobart

Provenance:

Sir James Plimsoll, who died on 8 May 1987, bequeathed his papers and books to the National Library. Following intervention by the Department of Foreign Affairs, the executors were informed that some of the papers were Commonwealth records and others were records of the Tasmanian Government. Consequently, the papers were transferred to the Australian Archives for detailed examination. It was finally determined that 149 boxes would come to the National Library, four boxes would be sent to the Tasmanian State Archives, and the remaining boxes would be retained by the Australian Archives. The papers were received by the National Library in March 1990.

Indexed terms

Names:

Sir James Plimsoll

Conditions Governing Access:

Please refer to the collection's catalogue record for the access conditions (http://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn1769030).

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 James Plimsoll, National Library of Australia, MS 8048, [series and/or file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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