Stamps

Lot 3621    Session 14 (4.30pm Thursday)    Stamps

Estimate $100
Bid at live.noble.com.au
SOLD $260

WORLD, an accumulation of covers (approx. 200) from the private mail addressed to Sir Percy Spender (see footnote), which was sent to him from a wide range of countries c.1950s-1980s in his various offical capacities after retirement from Federal politics; the lot also includes Australia plate copy of 3 1/2d South Australia Commemorative stamp and special presentation part sets in Laos Government folders (2) with stamps c.1951-2 and a presentation set from Honduras 1961 in blocks of 4 of Air Settlement of Boundary, stuck down in special prepared folder with card and details from the Director General of Posts of Honduras, lot also with many world stamps on paper and a Chinese stock book containing mint and used issues. Used a few mint. (100s)

Sir Percy Claude Spender, KCVO, KBE, QC, (5 October 1897 - 3 May 1985), was an Australian politician, diplomat and jurist. He was made a King's Counsel in 1935 and entered politics at the 1937 election when he was elected to the House of Representatives as member for Warringah. He ran as an independent, defeating the sitting member, Sir Archdale Parkhill. Soon after his election, he joined the government party, the United Australia Party, and held the seat until his resignation from federal politics in 1951. From 1944 was a member of the Liberal Party. He held a number of ministries in Robert Menzies' wartime government. He was Minister without portfolio assisting the Treasurer from April-November 1939, Vice-President of the Executive Council from January-March 1940, then Treasurer until October 1940 and then Minister for the Army until the fall of Arthur Fadden's government in October 1941. He was also a member of the Economic Cabinet (1939-1940), War Cabinet (1939-1941) and the Advisory War Council (1940-1945). With Menzies' return to power in 1949, Spender was made Minister for External Affairs (19 December 1949 - 26 April 1951) and Minister for External Territories. Spender's greatest influence on Australian politics occurred during this period. He led Australian delegations to the British Commonwealth Conference in Colombo, Ceylon and to the Fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly (of which he was the Vice-President). At the conference in Colombo, Spender was instrumental in the development of the Colombo Plan (which had originally been known as the Spender Plan). He also played a large part in the signing of the ANZUS Pact and the Treaty of San Francisco (Japanese Peace Treaty in 1951). He was more akin to the realist tradition of Australian foreign politics linked to former Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies. On leaving politics, he was appointed Australia's Ambassador to the United States (1951-58) and later was the first Australian appointed to the International Court of Justice in The Hague (1958-1964) becoming the Court's President 1964-67. He died in May 1985, aged 87. He was also awarded many honours during his life.