| Gray Nelson | |
| Birth Name: | Graydon Brian Nelson |
| Birth Date: | 8 May 1927 |
| Children: | 3 |
Graydon Brian Nelson (8 May 1927 – 29 November 2022) was a New Zealand public servant and diplomat.
Nelson spent his childhood in Taranaki, then the Auckland suburb of Epsom, and was educated at St Peter's College where he was a foundation pupil in 1939.[1] [2]
In 1956, Nelson married Mary Butler O’Connell, and the couple had three children.[2]
Nelson began working in the Department of Lands and Survey in 1952 and later at Parliament, and was private secretary to five New Zealand prime ministers: Keith Holyoake,[3] Jack Marshall, Norman Kirk, Bill Rowling, and Robert Muldoon.[2] [4] He also held the diplomatic position of counsellor at the New Zealand High Commission to the United Kingdom between 1978 and 1981.[4] He was senior representative and life member of the Government Superannuitants Association and also a life member of Bellamy's.[2]
In retirement, Nelson lived in Greytown. He died on 29 November 2022, aged 95, having been predeceased by his wife in 2005.[2] [5]
In 1977, Nelson was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal.[6] In the 1987 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Companion of the Queen's Service Order for public services.