Percy Spender

Percy Spender rose from legal practice to federal politics, serving as treasurer and army minister before becoming minister for external affairs in 1949. In that office he promoted the Colombo Plan and negotiated with John Foster Dulles over the security treaty that became ANZUS. ¹

As ambassador in Washington from 1951, Spender pressed for closer alignment with American foreign and defense policy. His activism sometimes exceeded Canberra’s instructions and brought him into conflict with Robert Menzies and Richard Casey. At the United Nations he defended Australian positions on immigration and colonial administration. ¹

Spender moved to the International Court of Justice in 1958 and became its president in 1964. In 1966 he cast the decisive vote in the South West Africa cases, a controversial ruling that prevented consideration of the applicants’ claims. He later published accounts of his diplomacy and political career. ¹