William Macmahon Ball
William Macmahon Ball AC | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 August 1901 |
| Died | 26 December 1986 (aged 85) |
| Alma mater | University of Melbourne (BA) |
| Occupations | Public servant, diplomat |
| Spouses | Iris Shield
(m. 1924; died 1926)Muriel Katrine Sandys Cliffe Anderson
(m. 1928) |
William Macmahon Ball, AC (29 August 1901 – 26 December 1986) was an Australian academic and diplomat.
Life and career
[edit]Born in Casterton, Victoria, he was educated at Caulfield Grammar School and the University of Melbourne, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree, Ball studied both psychology and political science as a research fellow at Melbourne and the London School of Economics respectively.[1] He then travelled Europe as a Carnegie Travelling Fellow, and during the Munich crisis was the first foreigner allowed to visit Sachsenhausen concentration camp in several years.
He was a notable diplomat, working as an advisor to the Australian delegation at the San Francisco conference of the United Nations in 1945,[2] Australian Minister to Japan, and British Commonwealth representative to the Allied Conference.
He later became a professor of political science at Melbourne University, and was a regular broadcaster on both the ABC and BBC. He was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1978 "for service to education and learning particularly in field of political science".[3]
Ball was interviewed in 1971 by Hazel de Berg about his life and career. The recording can be found at the National Library of Australia.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Ryan, Peter, "Ball, William Macmahon (1901–1986)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian National University, archived from the original on 19 January 2016
- ↑ "Resigned". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. No. 22, 114. New South Wales, Australia. 19 August 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 9 June 2026 – via National Library of Australia.
- ↑ Australian Honours (2006). BALL, William MacMahon. Retrieved 12 June 2006.
- ↑ Ball, W. M.; de Berg, H. (interviewer). (1971). William Macmahon Ball interviewed by Hazel de Berg in the Hazel de Berg collection [sound recording], National Library of Australia. Retrieved 5 May 2026.
External links
[edit]- William Macmahon Ball - The University of Melbourne 150 Years: 150 Stories
- Guide to the Papers of William Macmahon Ball - National Library of Australia
Further reading
[edit]- Peter Ryan, William Macmahon Ball: A Memoir (1990)
- Ai Kobayashi, W. Macmahon Ball: Politics for the People (2013)
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- 1901 births
- 1986 deaths
- Ambassadors of Australia to Japan
- University of Melbourne alumni
- Alumni of the London School of Economics
- People educated at Caulfield Grammar School
- Companions of the Order of Australia
- Australian political scientists
- People from Casterton, Victoria
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