Lester B. Pearson

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Rt. Hon. Lester Bowles Pearson
14th Prime Minister of Canada
In office April 22, 1963 – April 20, 1968
Preceded by	John Diefenbaker
Succeeded by	Pierre Trudeau
Born	April 23, 1897 Newtonbrook, Ontario
Died	December 27, 1972 Ottawa, Ontario
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Maryon Pearson
Religion	United Church of Canada

Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, OM, CC, OBE, MA, LL.D. (April 23, 1897 – December 27, 1972) was a Canadian statesman, diplomat and politician who was made a Nobel Laureate in 1957. He served as the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 22, 1963, to April 20, 1968, as the head of two back-to-back minority governments following elections in 1963 and 1965.

During his time as Prime Minister, Pearson's minority governments introduced universal health care, student loans, the Canada Pension Plan and Canada's flag. During his tenure, Prime Minister Pearson also convened the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. With these accomplishments, together with his groundbreaking work at the United Nations, and in international diplomacy, Pearson can safely be regarded as one of the most influential Canadians of the twentieth century.

[edit] Early life

He was born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of Toronto), the son of Edwin Arthur Pearson, a Methodist (later United Church of Canada) minister and Anne Sarah Bowles. He entered Victoria College at the University of Toronto in 1914, where he lived in residence in Gate House and shared a room with his brother Duke. While at the University of Toronto, he joined The Delta Upsilon Fraternity. At the university, he became a noted athlete, excelling in hockey and rugby. As he was too young to enlist in the army when the First World War broke out in 1914, he instead volunteered for the medical corps, where he served two years in Egypt and Greece. In 1916, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (as the Royal Canadian Air Force did not exist at that time), where he served until being sent home in 1917, as the result of a bus accident. It was as a pilot that he received the nickname of "Mike," given to him by a flight instructor who felt that "Lester" was too weak a name for an airman.

After the war, he returned to school, receiving his BA from the University of Toronto in 1919. While Attending the University of Toronto, Pearson became a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. Upon receiving a scholarship, he studied at St John's College Oxford University, where he received a BA in modern history in 1923 and the MA in 1925. In 1925, he married Maryon Moody (1901–1989), with whom he had one daughter, Patricia and one son, Geoffrey.

[edit] Early career

After Oxford, he returned to Canada and taught history at the University of Toronto, where he also coached the men's Varsity Blues ice hockey team. He then embarked on a career in the Department of External Affairs. He had a distinguished career as a diplomat, including playing an important part in founding both the United Nations and NATO. During the Second World War, he once served as a courier with the codename "Mike." He went on to become the first director of Signal's Intellegence. In 1948, Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent appointed Pearson Minister of External Affairs in the Liberal government. Shortly afterward, he won a seat in the Canadian House of Commons, for the federal riding of Algoma East. In 1957, for his role in defusing the Suez Crisis through the United Nations, Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The selection committee claimed that Pearson had "saved the world." The United Nations Emergency Force was Pearson's creation, and he is considered the father of the modern concept of peacekeeping. His peaceful ways would soon lead to his nomination for secretary-general of the United Nations.

[edit] Party leadership

He was elected leader of the Liberal Party at its 1958 leadership convention but his party was badly routed in the election of that year. In the 1962 election, his party reduced the Progressive Conservative Party of John Diefenbaker to a minority government.

[edit] Prime Minister

Pearson led the Liberals to a minority government in the 1963 general election, and became prime minister. He had campaigned during the election promising "60 Days of Decision" and support for the Bomarc missile program.

Pearson never had a majority in the Canadian House of Commons, but he introduced important social programs (including universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, Canada Student Loans) and the Maple Leaf Flag. Pearson's government instituted many of the social programs that Canadians hold dear. This was due in part to support for his minority government in the House of Commons from the New Democratic Party, led by Tommy Douglas. His actions included instituting the 40-hour work week, two weeks vacation time and a new minimum wage.

Pearson signed the Canada-United States Automotive Agreement (or Auto Pact) in January of 1965, and unemployment fell to its lowest rate in over a decade. [1]

While in office, Pearson resisted U.S. pressure to enter the Vietnam War. Pearson spoke at Temple University in Philadelphia on April 2, 1965, while visiting the United States, and voiced his support for a negotiated settlement to the Vietnam War. When he visited U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson the next day, Johnson strongly berated Pearson. According to Canadian legend, Johnson grabbed Pearson by the lapels, shook him, and shouted "Dammit, Les, I don't piss on your rug, so don't you piss on my rug!" Pearson later recounted that the meeting was acrimonious, but insisted the two parted cordially. After this incident, LBJ and Pearson did have further contacts, including two further meetings together, both times in Canada. (Canadians most remember the Pearson years as a time Canada-U.S. relations greatly improved.) [2]

Pearson also started a number of Royal Commissions, including one on the status of women and another on bilingualism. They instituted changes that helped create legal equality for women, and brought official bilingualism into being. After Pearson, French was made an official language, and the Canadian government would provide services in both. Pearson himself had hoped that he would be the last unilingual Prime Minister of Canada, and indeed fluency in both English and French became an unofficial requirement for Prime Ministeral candidates after Pearson left office.

Pearson was also remarkable for instituting the world's first race-free immigration system, throwing out previous ones that had discriminated against certain people, such as Jews and the Chinese. His points-based system encouraged immigration to Canada, and a similar system is still in place today.

Pearson also oversaw Canada's centennial celebrations in 1967 before retiring. The Canadian news agency, Canadian Press, named him "Newsmaker of the Year" that year, citing his leadership during the centennial celebrations, which brought the Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill.

Also in 1967, the President of France, Charles de Gaulle made a visit to Quebec. During that visit, de Gaulle was a staunch advocate of Quebec separatism, even going so far as to say that his procession in Montreal reminded him of his return to Paris after it was freed from the Nazis during the Second World War. President de Gaulle also gave his now infamous "Vive le Québec libre" speech during the visit. Given Canada's efforts in aid of France during both world wars, Pearson was enraged. He rebuked de Gaulle in a speech the following day, remarking that "Canadians do not need to be liberated", and making it clear that de Gaulle was no longer welcome in Canada. The French President returned to his home country, and would never visit Canada again.

[edit] Supreme Court appointments

Pearson recommended to the Governor General the appointment of the following people as Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada:

• Alex Alatsas (Chief Justice) — (April 22, 1963 – September 1, 1967) (appointed a Puisne Justice by Governor General the Earl of Athlone on the advice of William Lyon Mackenzie King in 1940)
• Wishart Flett Spence — (May 30, 1963 – December 29, 1978)
• John Robert Cartwright (Chief Justice) — (September 1, 1967 – March 23, 1970) (appointed a Puisne Justice by Governor General the Viscount Alexander of Tunis on the advice of Louis St. Laurent in 1949)
• Louis-Philippe Pigeon — (September 21, 1967 – February 8, 1980)

[edit] Retirement

Pearson, and three of his cabinet ministers who later became Prime Ministers. From left to right, Pierre Trudeau, John Turner, Jean Chrétien, and Pearson.

Pearson's gravestone in Wakefield Quebec taken in 2004.

After his announcement on December 14, 1967, that he was retiring from politics, a leadership convention was held. There, Pearson announced that the new leader chosen by the Liberal party was Pierre Trudeau, a man who Pearson had recruited and made Minister of Justice in his cabinet. He later became Prime Minister, and two other cabinet ministers Pearson recruited, John Turner and Jean Chrétien, served as prime minister in the years following Trudeau's retirement. Paul Martin, the son of Pearson's minister of external affairs, Paul Martin Sr., also went on to become prime minister.

Pearson later became a professor of international relations at Carleton University in Ottawa, as well as the school's chancellor. In 1968, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. In 1971, he was awarded the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II.

Pearson died of cancer in Ottawa on December 27, 1972, and was buried in the nearby Gatineau Hills in the MacLaren Cemetery, Wakefield, Quebec.

[edit] Honours and awards

• The Lester B. Pearson Award is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's outstanding player in the regular season, as judged by members of the NHL Players Association (NHLPA). It was first awarded in 1971 to Phil Esposito, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
• The Lester B. Pearson Building, completed in 1973, is the headquarters for Foreign Affairs Canada, a tribute to his service as external affairs minister.
• Lester B. Pearson College, opened in 1974, is a United World College near Victoria, British Columbia.
• The Pearson Medal of Peace, first awarded in 1979, is an award given out annually by the United Nations Association in Canada to recognize an individual Canadian's "contribution to international service."
• Toronto Pearson International Airport, first opened in 1939 and re-christened with its current name in 1984, is Canada's busiest airport.
• The Pearson Peacekeeping Centre, established in 1994, is an independent not-for-profit institution providing research and training on all aspects of peace operations.
• The Lester B. Pearson School Board is the largest English-language school board in Quebec^{[citation needed]}. The majority of the schools of the Lester B. Pearson School Board are located on the western half of island of Montreal, with a few of its schools located off the island as well.
• Lester B. Pearson High School lists five so named schools, in Calgary, Toronto, Burlington, Ottawa, and Montreal. There are also schools (also Elementary) in Ajax, Ontario, Aurora, Ontario, Brampton, Ontario, London, Ontario, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Waterloo, Ontario and Wesleyville, Newfoundland.
• Pearson Avenue is located near Highway 407 and Yonge Street in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada; less than five miles from his place of birth.
• Pearson Way is an arterial access road located in a new subdivision in Milton, Ontario; many ex-Prime Ministers are being honoured in this growing community, including Prime Ministers Trudeau and Laurier.
• Lester B. Pearson Place completed in 2006, is a four storey seniors' residence in Newtonbrook, Ontario, mere steps from his place of birth.
• A plaque at the north end of the North American Life building in North York commemorates his place of birth. The manse where Pearson was born is gone, but a plaque is located at his birthsite.

[edit] Honorary Degrees

Lester B. Pearson, Canadian Ambassador to the United States, at University of Toronto convocation, 1945.

Lester B. Pearson received Honorary Degrees from 48 Universities, including:

• University of Toronto in 1945 (LL.D) [3]
• University of Rochester in 1947 (LL.D) [4]
• McMaster University in 1948 (LL.D)
• Bates College in 1951 (LL.D) [5]
• Princeton University in 1956 (LL.D) [6]
• University of British Columbia in 1958 (LL.D) [7]
• University of Notre Dame in 1963
• Waterloo Lutheran University later changed to Wilfrid Laurier University in 1964 (LL.D)
• Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1964 (LL.D) [8]
• Johns Hopkins University in 1964 (LL.D) [9]
• Laurentian University in 1965 (LL.D) [10]
• University of Saskatchewan (Regina Campus) later changed to University of Regina in 1965 [11]
• McGill University in 1965 [12]
• Dalhousie University in 1967 (LL.D) [13]
• University of Calgary in 1967 [14]
• UCSB in 1967
• Harvard University
• Columbia University
• University of Western Ontario [15]
• Oxford University (LL.D)

[edit] References

• Beal, John Robinson. Pearson of Canada. 1964.
• Beal, John Robinson and Poliquin, Jean-Marc. Les trois vies de Pearson of Canada. 1968.
• Bothwell, Robert. Pearson, His Life and World. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1978. ISBN 0-07-082305-7.
• English, John. Shadow of Heaven: The Life of Lester Pearson, Volume I, 1897-1948. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys, 1989. ISBN 0-88619-169-6.
• English, John. The Worldly Years: The Life of Lester Pearson, Volume II, 1949-1972. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys, 1992. ISBN 0-394-22729-8.
• Fry, Michael G. Freedom and change: Essays in Honour of Lester B. Pearson. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1975. ISBN 0-7710-3187-4.
• Pearson, Lester B. Canada: Nation on the March. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1953.
• Pearson, Lester B. The Crisis of Development. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1970.
• Pearson, Lester B. Diplomacy in the Nuclear Age. Harvard University Press, 1959.
• Pearson, Lester B. The Four Faces of Peace and the International Outlook. McClelland and Stewart, 1964.
• Pearson, Lester B. Mike : The Memoirs of the Right Honourable Lester B. Pearson. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1972. ISBN 0-575-01709-0 .
• Pearson, Lester B. Peace in the Family of Man. London: Oxford University Press, 1969. ISBN 0-563-08449-9.
• Pearson, Lester B. Words and Occasions: An Anthology of Speeches and Articles, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1970. ISBN 0-674-95611-7.
• Stursberg, Peter. Lester Pearson and the Dream of Unity. Doubleday, 1978. ISBN 0-385-13478-9.
• Thordarson, Bruce. Lester Pearson: Diplomat and Politician. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1974. ISBN 0-19-540225-1.

[edit] See also

• Canada and the Vietnam War
• Senator Landon Pearson

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Lester B. Pearson

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• "Greatest Canadian" write-up of Lester Pearson
• National Archives biography
• Nobel prize website
• Canadian Peace Hall of Fame
• Order of Canada Citation
• Political Biography from the Library of Parliament
• CBC Digital Archives — Lester B. Pearson: From Peacemaker to Prime Minister
• Ontario Plaques — The Right Honourable Lester Bowles Pearson 1897–1972
• University of Toronto Athletic Hall of Fame, Inducted 1987

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