Michael Alexander (diplomat)

Sir Michael Alexander
Personal information
Born(1936-06-19)19 June 1936
Winchester, Hampshire, England
Died1 June 2002(2002-06-01) (aged 65)
London, England
Sport
SportFencing
Medal record
Men's fencing
Representing  United Kingdom
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1960 Rome Épée, team

Sir Michael O'Donel Bjarne Alexander GCMG (19 June 1936 – 1 June 2002) was a British diplomat. He was the foreign policy secretary to Margaret Thatcher and the UK ambassador to NATO.[1]

Alexander was the son of Hugh Alexander, the Anglo-Irish mathematician famed for his work at Bletchley Park. Michael spent much of his youth in his father's native Ireland. He was educated at Foyle College in Derry and, later, at St Paul's School, London, and King's College, Cambridge.[2] He competed as a fencer for Great Britain at the 1960 Summer Olympics, winning a silver medal in the team épée event.[3][4]

Alexander also served as Permanent Representative on the North Atlantic Council and Ambassador to Austria.[5]

  1. ^ "Sir Michael Alexander: Obituary". independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  2. ^ Braithwaite, Rodric (27 June 2002). "Sir Michael Alexander". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  3. ^ "Olympics Statistics: Michael Alexander". databaseolympics.com. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  4. ^ "Michael Alexander Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  5. ^ "Sir Michael Alexander". The Telegraph. 15 June 2002. Retrieved 9 June 2012.