Frederick Johnson Pedler, Kt (1969), was born on 10 Jul 1908 and educated at Watford Grammar School, and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He joined the Colonial Office in 1930, and was seconded to Tanganyika (Tanzania) in 1934. He was, subsequently, Secretary to the Commission on Higher Education in East Africa and Sudan under the chairmanship of Lord De La Warr (1937); Secretary to the Lord Privy Seal (1938); and Secretary to Lord Hailey in Africa (1939) and in Congo (1940). Pedler was Chief British Economic Representative in Dakar (1942) and also worked in the Finance Department of the Colonial Office (1944).

While still officially seconded as Private Secretary to Lord De La Warr, Pedler helped to edit Lord Hailey's African Survey. He accompanied Lord Hailey on the tour of parts of Africa that the latter made in 1939 and 1940, in preparation for his report on Native Administration and Political Affairs in British Tropical Africa. This report was requested by the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Malcolm MacDonald, to provide the Colonial Office with information with which to form policy on the treatment of the Colonies during the war. Pedler again accompanied Lord Hailey to Africa in 1940, on the British Economic Mission to the Belgian Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo), which was undertaken to try to persuade the Colony to enter into close relations with Britain as an ally in the conduct of the war. When Lord Hailey returned to England, Pedler was left in charge until the Mission was closed.

In 1947, Pedler joined the United Africa Company and was the company's Director (1951) and Deputy Chairman (1965-1968). He was also Director of Unilever Ltd. and NV (1956-1968) and worked for William Baird Ltd. (1969-1975). Sir Pedler was Chairman of the Council for Technical Education and Training for Overseas Countries (1962-1973) and Chairman of the East Africa and Mauritius Association (1966-1968). He retired in 1968. He was a member of the Inter-University Council (1967-1973) and Treasurer of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (1969-1981), from whom he received an Honorary Fellowship in 1976.

Sir Pedler married Esther Ruth Carling in 1935, and they had two sons and one daughter. He died on 6 Apr 1991. Compiled with reference to Who Was Who.