Seán Lester
Encyclopedia
Seán Lester was an Irish
diplomat
and the last Secretary General of the League of Nations
, from 31 August 1940 to 18 April 1946.
. He was working as a journalist for the North Down Herald and a number of other northern papers, before moving to Dublin, where he found a job with the Freeman's Journal. There, by 1919, he had risen to news editor
.
After the War of Independence, a number of his friends joined the new government of the Irish Free State
. Lester was offered, and accepted, a position as Director of Publicity. He married Elizabeth Ruth Tyrrell in 1920, by whom he had three daughters.
in 1929 to replace Michael MacWhite as Ireland's Permanent Delegate to the League of Nations
. In 1930 he succeeded in organising Ireland's election to the Council (or executive body) of the League of Nations for a three-year term. Lester often represented Ireland at Council meetings, standing in for the Minister for External Affairs. During this time he became increasingly involved in the work of the League, particularly in its attempts to bring a resolution to two wars in South America. This work brought him to the attention of the League Secretariat and began his transformation from national to international civil servant.
When Peru
and Colombia
disputed over a town in the headwaters of the Amazon, Lester presided over the committee which found an equitable solution. He also presided over the less successful committee when Bolivia and Paraguay went to war over the Gran Chaco
. In 1933, Lester was seconded to the League's Secretariat and sent to Danzig (now Gdańsk
, Poland
), as the League of Nations' High Commissioner
. The Free City of Danzig
was the scene of an emerging international crisis between Nazi Germany
and the international community over the issue of the Polish Corridor
and the Free City
's relationship with the Third Reich. During this period Lester repeatedly protested to the German government against its persecution and discrimination of the Jews
. For this reason he was boycotted by both the representatives of the German Reich and the representatives of the Nazi Party in Danzig.
which had rendered the League impotent). The League had only 100 employees, including guards and janitors, of its original 700. Lester remained in Geneva throughout the war, and kept the League's technical and humanitarian programs in limited operation for the duration of the war. In 1946 he oversaw the League's closure, and turned over the League's assets and functions to the newly established United Nations
.
in 1945 and a doctorate of the National University of Ireland
in 1948.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
diplomat
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
and the last Secretary General of the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
, from 31 August 1940 to 18 April 1946.
Early life
He was born in County Antrim, the son of a Protestant grocer. Despite the fact that the town of Carrickfergus, where he was born and raised, was strongly Unionist, he joined the Gaelic League as a youth, and was won over to the cause of Irish nationalism. As a young man he joined the Irish Republican BrotherhoodIrish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
. He was working as a journalist for the North Down Herald and a number of other northern papers, before moving to Dublin, where he found a job with the Freeman's Journal. There, by 1919, he had risen to news editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
.
After the War of Independence, a number of his friends joined the new government of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
. Lester was offered, and accepted, a position as Director of Publicity. He married Elizabeth Ruth Tyrrell in 1920, by whom he had three daughters.
Diplomatic career
In 1923 he joined Ireland's Department of External Affairs. He was sent to GenevaGeneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in 1929 to replace Michael MacWhite as Ireland's Permanent Delegate to the League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. In 1930 he succeeded in organising Ireland's election to the Council (or executive body) of the League of Nations for a three-year term. Lester often represented Ireland at Council meetings, standing in for the Minister for External Affairs. During this time he became increasingly involved in the work of the League, particularly in its attempts to bring a resolution to two wars in South America. This work brought him to the attention of the League Secretariat and began his transformation from national to international civil servant.
When Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
disputed over a town in the headwaters of the Amazon, Lester presided over the committee which found an equitable solution. He also presided over the less successful committee when Bolivia and Paraguay went to war over the Gran Chaco
Chaco War
The Chaco War was fought between Bolivia and Paraguay over control of the northern part of the Gran Chaco region of South America, which was incorrectly thought to be rich in oil. It is also referred to as La Guerra de la Sed in literary circles for being fought in the semi-arid Chaco...
. In 1933, Lester was seconded to the League's Secretariat and sent to Danzig (now Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
), as the League of Nations' High Commissioner
High Commissioner
High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking, special executive positions held by a commission of appointment.The English term is also used to render various equivalent titles in other languages.-Bilateral diplomacy:...
. The Free City of Danzig
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig was a semi-autonomous city-state that existed between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig and surrounding areas....
was the scene of an emerging international crisis between Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and the international community over the issue of the Polish Corridor
Polish Corridor
The Polish Corridor , also known as Danzig Corridor, Corridor to the Sea or Gdańsk Corridor, was a territory located in the region of Pomerelia , which provided the Second Republic of Poland with access to the Baltic Sea, thus dividing the bulk of Germany from the province of East...
and the Free City
Free city
Free city may refer to:* City-state, region controlled exclusively by a sovereign city* Free city a self-governed city during the Hellenistic and Roman Imperial eras* Free City , album by the St...
's relationship with the Third Reich. During this period Lester repeatedly protested to the German government against its persecution and discrimination of the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
. For this reason he was boycotted by both the representatives of the German Reich and the representatives of the Nazi Party in Danzig.
League of Nations
Lester returned to Geneva in 1937 to become Deputy Secretary General of the League of Nations. In 1940 he became Secretary General of the body (he became the League's leader a year after the beginning of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
which had rendered the League impotent). The League had only 100 employees, including guards and janitors, of its original 700. Lester remained in Geneva throughout the war, and kept the League's technical and humanitarian programs in limited operation for the duration of the war. In 1946 he oversaw the League's closure, and turned over the League's assets and functions to the newly established United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
Later years
Despite rumours that he would be prepared to stand for election as President of Ireland, Lester sought no permanent office and retired to Recess, County Galway in the west of Ireland, where he died. In its obituary, The Times, described Lester as an “international conciliator and courageous friend of refugees”. He was given the Woodrow Wilson AwardWoodrow Wilson Award
Woodrow Wilson Awards are given out multiple times each year by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars of the Smithsonian Institution to individuals in both the public sphere and business who have shown an outstanding commitment to President of the United States Woodrow Wilson's dream...
in 1945 and a doctorate of the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
in 1948.
Biographies
- Stephen Ashworth Barcroft: The international civil servant: the League of Nations career of Sean Lester, 1929-1947; Dublin 1973
- Douglas GagebyDouglas GagebyDouglas Gageby was the pre-eminent Irish newspaper editor of his generation. His life is well documented and a book of essays about him, written by many of his colleagues who had attained fame for their literary achievements, was published in 2006 [Bright Brilliant Days: Douglas Gageby and the...
: The last secretary general: Sean Lester and the League of Nations; Dublin 1999; ISBN 1860591086 - Arthur W. Rovine: The first fifty years: the secretary-general in world politics 1920-1970; Leyden 1970; ISBN 9021891905
- Michael KennedyMichael KennedyMichael LeMoyne Kennedy , was the sixth of eleven children of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel Kennedy.-Education:...
: Ireland and the League of Nations 1919-1946: politics, diplomacy and international relations; Dublin 1996 - Paul McNamara: Sean Lester, Poland and the Nazi Takeover of Danzig; Irish Academic Press Ltd 2008; ISBN 0716529696
External links
- Biography
- Nation Builders: Sean Lester biographical article from the producers of an Irish documentary on Lester.
- League of Nations Archives, with a short biography
- League of Nations Archives, Private Archives of Sean Lester
- Documents on Irish Foreign Policy website