Thomas Haining

Thomas Nivison Haining (15 March 1927 – 17 July 2005), was a British diplomat. He was ambassador to Mongolia from 1979 to 1982.

Early life, family and education

Haining was educated at University of Edinburgh and University of Göttingen.

From 1979 to 1982 he was British ambassador to the Mongolian People's Republic. It was a "place that fitted him like a glove".

After retirement in 1982, Haining settled in Brechin in Angus, Scotland. He became an honorary research associate in history at the University of Aberdeen and honorary president of the Chinese Studies Group. He wrote about Mongolia and the history of the Mongols in academic journals, reviewed books and discussed modern Mongolia being caught between Russian and Chinese influences.

In 1991, Blackwell published Genghis Khan: His Life and Legacy by Paul Ratchnevsky, which Haining had edited, translated from the German and contributed to. (This had been first published as Činggis-Kahn: sein Leben und Wirken, in 1983. ) The Royal Asiatic Society reviewer commented: "The translation is excellent. Mr Haining is to be congratulated on his contribution to what is in many respects an improvement even on Ratchnevsky's splendid work." Genghis Khan is now published by Wiley-Blackwell.

Honours Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (1983)

Personal life Haining married in 1955 and had a son, Nicholas.