Cosgrove, Peter (1947-…), was the governor general of Australia from 2014 to 2019. The governor general represents the British monarch in Australia’s government. Cosgrove is a former head of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) . From 1999 to 2000, Cosgrove led Australia’s peacekeeping efforts in East Timor .
Peter John Cosgrove was born in Sydney on July 28, 1947. In 1968, he graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon . The college prepares cadets for careers in the Australian Army. Cosgrove served in the Army during the Vietnam War (1957-1975). He was awarded the Military Cross for his leadership during an attack on enemy bunkers. Following the war, he instructed soldiers at the Infantry Centre in Singleton, New South Wales. Cosgrove married Lynne Payne in 1976.
Over the next few decades, Cosgrove held a number of important positions in the Australian Army. At various times he served as commandant of the Infantry Centre; commander of the 6th Infantry Brigade; commander of the Australian Defence Force Warfare Centre; and commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon.
In August 1999, the people of East Timor, which had been governed as part of Indonesia , voted for independence. After the vote, opponents of independence, with assistance from the Indonesian armed forces, launched a campaign of terror. The United Nations (UN) sent an Australian-led peacekeeping force to oversee the transition to independence in East Timor. Cosgrove served as head of the force.
In 2000, after returning to Australia, Cosgrove became chief of the Australian Army. He had been made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1985, and he was made a Companion of the Order, a higher level of the Order, in 2000. The Order of Australia is Australia’s highest award for service to the country or to humanity. In 2001, he was named Australian of the Year in recognition of his work in East Timor. In 2002, Cosgrove was promoted to general . He served as chief of the ADF from 2002 until he retired from the army in 2005.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott nominated Cosgrove to become governor general in 2014. When he was sworn in, he became a Knight of the Order of Australia, the highest degree of the order. Cosgrove’s term as governor general ended in 2019.
