{{Short description|British diplomat (1898–1984)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Sir Clinton Pelham

| office2 = British Ambassador to Czechoslovakia | term_start2 = 1955 | term_end2 = 1957 | successor2 = Sir Paul Grey | predecessor2 = Sir Derwent Kermode

| office3 = British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia | predecessor3 = Alan Trott | successor3 = Sir Harold Beeley | term_start3 = 1951 | term_end3 = 1955

| birth_date = 20 May 1898 | death_date = 17 June 1984 (aged 86) | children = 2 | occupation = Diplomat | honorific_suffix = KBE CMG FRGS }}

'''Sir George Clinton Pelham''' (20 May 1898 – 17 June 1984) was a British diplomat who served as ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1951 to 1955 and ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1955 to 1957.

== Early life and education ==

Pelham was born on 20 May 1898, the son of George Pelham. He was educated privately.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=20 June 1984 |title=Sir Clinton Pelham |work=The Times |pages=12}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/whowaswho19811990008unse |title=Who was who 1981-1990 : a companion to Who's who |date=1991 |publisher=London : A. & C. Black |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7136-3336-8 |pages=588}}</ref>

== Career ==

After serving during World War I from 1915 to 1918, Pelham joined the Foreign Office in 1920<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=32344 |date=3 June 1921 |page=4448 }}</ref> after working briefly at the Customs and Excise Department.<ref>{{Edinburgh Gazette |issue=13560 |date=6 February 1920 |page=350 }}</ref> In 1923, he transferred to the Far Eastern Consular Service as a student interpreter,<ref>{{Edinburgh Gazette |issue=14222 |date=13 April 1926 |page=427 }}</ref> and in the following year was appointed vice-consul in China.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=33272 |date=6 May 1927 |page=2953 }}</ref> In 1934, he served as commercial secretary at Peking.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34019 |date=30 January 1934 |page=675 }}</ref>

In 1943, Pelham was appointed acting consul-general in Madagascar. He then served at Baghdad as first secretary (commercial) in 1945,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37309 |date=16 October 1945 |page=5071 }}</ref> promoted to counsellor (commercial) the following year, and counsellor (commercial) at Madrid from 1948 to 1951.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Colin Mackie |url=http://archive.org/details/directorybritishdiplomats-mackie-pt1 |title=A Directory of British Diplomats [2013] |date=2013 |pages=390}}</ref>

Pelham then served as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1951 to 1955,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=39513 |date=11 April 1952 |page=2013 }}</ref> and Ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1955 to 1957.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=40557 |date=9 August 1955 |page=4559 }}</ref>

In retirement Pelham became a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society (FRGS), and was a county councillor for West Sussex from 1963 to 1970.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

== Personal life and death ==

Pelham married Jeanie Adelina Morton in 1930 and they had two daughters.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

Pelham died on 17 June 1984, aged 86.<ref name=":0" />

== Honours ==

Pelham was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the 1949 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=38493 |date=1 January 1949 |page=5 |supp=y }}</ref> He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1957 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=40960 |date=1 January 1957 |page=22 |supp=y }}</ref>

== See also ==

* Czech Republic–United Kingdom relations * Saudi Arabia–United Kingdom relations

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{NPG name|78555|Sir (George) Clinton Pelham}}

{{s-start}} {{s-dip}} {{s-bef |before=Alan Trott}} {{s-ttl |title =British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia |years=1951–1955}} {{s-aft |after =Sir Harold Beeley}}

{{s-bef |before=Sir Derwent Kermode}} {{s-ttl |title =British Ambassador to Czechoslovakia|years=1955–1957}} {{s-aft |after =Sir Paul Grey}} {{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelham, George Clinton}}

Category:1898 births Category:1984 deaths Category:20th-century British diplomats Category:Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia Category:Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to Czechoslovakia