Robert David Jackson

Robert David Jackson (26 December 1934 – 9 May 2021) was a Canadian diplomat who served in various international roles, including as Canadian Ambassador to Syria and Lebanon from 1982 to 1984.

Jackson was born in London, United Kingdom, on 26 December 1934. As a child, he survived the London Blitz during World War II. After the war, he emigrated to Canada with his mother and sister, settling in Vancouver, British Columbia. Jackson attended Lord Byng Secondary School, graduating as valedictorian in 1952. He pursued studies in international and political science at the University of British Columbia from 1952 to 1956 and later attended Hamburg University in 1955 and the London School of Economics from 1956 to 1960.

Jackson was a recipient of the IODE War Memorial Scholarship in 1958, an award granted for academic excellence in his field.

Jackson joined the Canadian Department of External Affairs in 1960 and began a diplomatic career representing Canada abroad. His early assignments included postings in Germany, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Laos. In 1982, he was appointed the Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon and Syria. Jackson was one of the last embassy members to remain in Beirut during the 1984 international evacuation.

Following his retirement in 1997, Jackson returned to Canada, settling in Seeley Cove, New Brunswick. He spent his final years at the Fundy Nursing Home in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, where he died peacefully on 9 May 2021 at the age of 86.

Jackson was predeceased by his parents, Mary Louise Jackson and Geoffrey Cecil Roberts Jackson, as well as his sister, Valerie Rosemary Walker.