Geoffrey Jackson

This article is about the UK diplomat. For the religion leader, see Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. For those of a similar name, see Jeff Jackson (disambiguation).

Sir Geoffrey Holt Seymour Jackson, KCMG (4 March 1915 — 1 October 1987) was a British diplomat and writer.

Jackson received his education at Bolton School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He entered the Foreign Service in 1937, his first ambassadorship coming in 1957, a post in Honduras. In 1969, he became ambassador in Uruguay. He was kidnapped by Tupamaros guerrillas in 1971, enduring a captivity of eight months. After his release he went back to work for the Foreign Office. He worked for the BBC after his diplomatic retirement in 1975.

Kidnapping

Jackson was kidnapped by Tupamaros guerrillas on 8 January 1971 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He was released after eight months of captivity, on 9 September 1971. Later it became known that Edward Heath, the British prime minister at that time, negotiated a deal for Jackson's release. ₤42,000 was paid for his release, which was brokered by Salvador Allende, the Chilean president who enjoyed contacts with the Tupamaros rebels.

Books

• Geoffrey Jackson (1972). The Oven-Bird. 
• Geoffrey Jackson (1973). People's Prison. 
• Geoffrey Jackson (1974). Surviving the Long Night. 
• Geoffrey Jackson (1981). Concorde Diplomacy. 

References

• "Obituary of Sir Geoffrey Jackson: Stoical Guerrilla Hostage". The Times. 1987-10-02. 

External links

• The Papers of Sir Geoffrey Jackson