# Ronald Arculus

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**Sir Ronald Arculus** (11 February 1923 – 28 August 2016)[1] was a British ambassador and businessman.

## Career

Ronald Arculus was educated at [Solihull School](/source/Solihull_School) and [Exeter College, Oxford](/source/Exeter_College,_Oxford). He served in the [4th Queen's Own Hussars](/source/4th_Queen's_Own_Hussars) 1942–45, then joined the [Diplomatic Service](/source/His_Majesty's_Diplomatic_Service) in 1947. Besides postings at the Foreign Office (later the [Foreign and Commonwealth Office](/source/Foreign_and_Commonwealth_Office)) he served in British missions at [San Francisco](/source/San_Francisco), [La Paz](/source/La_Paz),[2] [Ankara](/source/Ankara) and [Washington, D.C.](/source/Washington,_D.C.), as deputy [Consul-General](/source/Consul-General) at [New York](/source/New_York_City),[3] and as [Minister (Economic)](/source/Diplomatic_rank) at the embassy in [Paris](/source/Paris). He led the UK delegation to the [United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea](/source/United_Nations_Conference_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea) (UNCLOS III), with the rank of ambassador, at New York 1977–79. He was ambassador to Italy 1979–83,[4] his last diplomatic post before retirement.

After leaving the Diplomatic Service, Arculus was a non-executive director of [Glaxo](/source/Glaxo) 1983–91[5] and continued as a consultant 1992–95. During the preparation for the [Channel Tunnel](/source/Channel_Tunnel) project Arculus was appointed by the [Secretary of State for Transport](/source/Secretary_of_State_for_Transport) to be a special adviser on the through trains planned to run via the tunnel to Paris, Brussels and elsewhere.[6] He was also a governor of the [British Institute of Florence](/source/British_Institute_of_Florence) 1983–94. He was a Fellow of the [Chartered Management Institute](/source/Chartered_Management_Institute).

## Honours

Arculus was appointed [CMG](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_St_Michael_and_St_George) in 1968[7] and knighted KCMG in 1979 on his appointment to the embassy at Rome.[8] He was given the additional knighthood of KCVO following [the Queen](/source/Elizabeth_II)'s state visit to Italy in October 1980.[9] The Italian government made him a Knight Grand Cross of the [Order of Merit](/source/Order_of_Merit_of_the_Italian_Republic). He was a [Freeman of the City of London](/source/Freedom_of_the_City) and an honorary Fellow of his *alma mater*, Exeter College, Oxford.[10]

## References and sources

**References**

1. [ARCULUS](http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/206674/arculus)

1. No. 38841. 14 February 1950. p. 786.

1. No. 43831. 3 December 1965. p. 11310.

1. No. 47968. 2 October 1979. p. 12354.

1. "Zantac helps Glaxo to £86m profit". *The Times*. 12 April 1983. p. 17.

1. "Appointments". *The Times*. 15 January 1987. p. 20.

1. No. 44484. 29 December 1967. p. 4.

1. No. 47869. 15 June 1979. p. 3.

1. No. 16523. 28 November 1980. p. 16523.

1. [Honorary Fellows – Exeter College – University of Oxford](http://www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/node/231.html)

**Sources**

- [ARCULUS, Sir Ronald](http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U5665), *Who's Who 2016*, A & C Black, 2016 (online edition, Oxford University Press, 2015)

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