Foss Shanahan

Who was Foss Shanahan?

Foss Shanahan was a New Zealand diplomat and public servant. He started in the Customs Department in 1928, then in 1939 joined the Prime Minister’s Department, in the section that became the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

He was Assistant Secretary of the War Cabinet 1940-45, Deputy Secretary of the External Affairs Department 1943-55, Secretary of Cabinet 1948-55, and Head of Defence Secretariat 1949-55. He set up the Cabinet Secretariat, and was known as "Foss the Boss."

He served as Commissioner then High Commissioner to Singapore 1955-58, then as High Commissioner to Canada 1958-61 and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York 1958-62.

He was born in Alexandra, New Zealand and died in Wellington. He was educated at Christian Brothers College, Dunedin, and Waitaki Boys' High School, Oamaru. He joined the public service in 1928 and studied part-time at the University of Otago and Victoria University of Wellington, graduating from Victoria with a Master of Laws in 1936.

He married Joan Mason in 1938; they had four sons and one daughter.