John Alan Beesley

John Alan Beesley (1927–2009) was a Canadian diplomat and civil servant.

Early life Beesley was born in Smithers, British Columbia, on August 17, 1927. He was one of five children of Jack and Margaret Beesley. He had two brothers, Dr. Bernard Beesley and Flight Officer Terry Beesley (who died on D-Day). He had two sisters, Noreen Burvill and Elizabeth Beesley.

He spent his early years in Williams Lake, Penticton and Kamloops. He graduated from Kamloops High School in 1945.

He attended the University of British Columbia, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts and Law degree in 1950. While attending UBC he was a founding member of the Jokers Club. He also became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

After graduating, Beesley practised law at Crease and Company in Victoria, BC, for six years, prior to joining the federal Department of External Affairs in 1956.

Throughout his career Beesley was involved in protecting the environment and promoting peace. He was involved in major bilateral and multinational treaty negotiations in many subjects, including: outer space; the law of the atmosphere; aerial hijacking; international trade; the International Atomic Energy Agency peaceful nuclear regime; environmental law; human rights law; the law of the arctic; humanitarian law; laws of war; climate change; aboriginal law; refugee law; and international crimes.

Beesley was awarded the Prime Minister's Outstanding Public Service Award in 1983.

In 1993, Beesley was awarded the Admiral's Medal for contributions to Canadian maritime affairs. In 1995, he received the United Nations Association in Canada medal of honour. In 1998 he was awarded the Red Cross's Human Rights Medal of Honour, the Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg Medal, and the Human Rights Medal of Honour from the Vancouver Island Human Rights Coalition. and an honorary doctor of laws from Dalhousie University in 1994.

Personal life In 1954, Beesley married Margaret Ruth Stevens. They had two children, a daughter, Terry Beesley Phipps, and a son, S. Alan Beesley.

His first wife died in 1991. He remarried in 2002 to Ruth Lechner. He died in Victoria, B.C., on January 22, 2009.