Graydon Nicholas

Graydon Nicholas ONB (born 1946) is the 30th and current Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. An attorney and judge, he is the first Aboriginal person to hold this office, as well as the first to be appointed as a provincial court judge (in 1991), and the first in Atlantic Canada to obtain a law degree.

Early life and education

A member of the Maliseet nation, Nicholas was born on the Tobique First Nations Reserve. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Francis Xavier University and, in 1971, a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of New Brunswick. He was the first First Nations person in Atlantic Canada to earn a law degree. He obtained a Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1974.

Career

Returning to New Brunswick, Nicholas worked for the Union of New Brunswick Indians, serving as its Chairman of the Board (1976–1980) and President (1980–1988). He has also taught at St. Thomas University.

He was appointed a provincial court judge in 1991, the first aboriginal to be selected for the position. He has worked for justice for First Nations and other peoples.^[2]

In September 2009, Nicholas was appointed as the next Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on the suggestion of Premier Shawn Graham with support from the opposition. He is the first Aboriginal named to this position.^[2] He is serving a five-year term. He succeeded Herménégilde Chiasson, the poet and philosopher on September 30, 2009.^[3]

Honours

• New Brunswick Human Rights Award^[2]
• Fredericton YMCA Peace Medallion^[2]
• Canada 125 Medal^[2]
• Inaugural recipient of the Golden Jubilee Medal^[2]
• 2011, Nicholas was honoured as one of Wilfrid Laurier University's 100 alumni of achievement.

See also

• The Canadian Crown and Aboriginal peoples

References

External links

• Official website of the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick
• Backgrounder: The Honourable Graydon Nicholas. Office of the Prime Minister. September 10, 2009.

v t e Lieutenant Governors of New Brunswick Post-Confederation (1867-present) Doyle Harding L. Wilmot Tilley Chandler R. Wilmot Tilley Boyd Fraser McClelan Snowball Tweedie Wood Ganong Pugsley Todd McLean M. MacLaren Clark D. MacLaren O'Brien McNair Bird Robichaud Stanley Finn McCain Trenholme Counsell Chiasson Nicholas Governors before Confederation (1786-1866) Carleton Smyth Douglas Campbell Harvey Colebrooke Head Manners-Sutton Hamilton-Gordon

v t e Current viceroys of Canada Governor General of Canada David Johnston Lieutenant Governors Donald Ethell (AB) Judith Guichon (BC) Philip S. Lee (MB) Graydon Nicholas (NB) John James Grant (NS) Frank Fagan (NL) David Onley (ON) H. Frank Lewis (PE) Pierre Duchesne (QC) Vaughn Solomon Schofield (SK) Commissioners George Tuccaro (NT) Edna Elias (NU) Doug Phillips (YT)

v t e Politics of New Brunswick Lieutenant Governor Graydon Nicholas Former lieutenant governors Premier David Alward Former premiers Cabinet Opposition Leader Victor Boudreau Former Opposition Leaders Speaker of the Assembly Dale Graham Legislature Current members Former legislatures Political parties Progressive Conservatives Liberals New Democrats Green Party People's Alliance Elections 2014 general election Past elections Current issues Equalization payments NB Power Budget deficit Other Canadian politics BC AB SK MB ON QC NB NS PEI NL YU NT NU