John Burgh

Sir John Charles Burgh, (9 December 1925 – 12 April 2013) was an Austrian-born refugee who became a senior member of the British Civil Service as director-general of the British Council (1980–1987). He later served as president of Trinity College, Oxford (1987–1996).

Early life Burgh was born Karl Hans Schweinburg on 9 December 1925 in Vienna, Austria. His parents were Jews who had converted to Roman Catholicism. His father, who had practised as a barrister, died in 1937. His mother had him and his sister Lucy baptised in the Church of England. From his family's flat that overlooked Vienna's Ringstrasse, Burgh saw Adolf Hitler touring the city following the 1938 Anschluss that annexed Austria into Nazi Germany.

Career Following graduation, Burgh joined the administrative branch of the Civil Service.

In 1987 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Bath.

Later life Burgh died on 12 April 2013 of pneumonia. He was aged 87.

Personal life In 1957, Burgh married Ann Sturge. Together they had two daughters.