Brock Chisholm George Brock Chisholm , CC , MC & Bar ( 18 May 1896 – 4 February 1971 ) was a Canadian First World War veteran , medical practitioner , and the first Director - General of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) . He was a strong advocate of religious tolerance and often commented that man ' s worst enemy was not disease , which he felt was curable as long as men worked together , but man himself . Chisholm was born in Oakville , Ontario , to a family with deep ties to the region . Under Sir Isaac Brock , after whom Chisholm was named , his great - grandfather fought against the Americans during the War of 1812 . His great - grandfather ' s brother was also Oakville ' s founder . As an 18 - year - old at the start of the First World War , Chisholm joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force , serving in the 15th Battalion , CEF as a cook , sniper , machine gun ner and scout . His leadership and heroism were twice rewarded : with a Military Cross for his efforts in a battle outside of Lens , France ; and the Bar . He rose to the rank of captain , was injured once and returned home in 1917 . After the war , Chisholm pursued his lifelong passion of medicine , earning his M . D . from the University of Toronto by 1924 before interning in England , where he specialized in psychiatry . After six years in general practice in his native Oakville , he attended Yale University where he specialized in the mental health of children . During this time , Chisholm developed his strong view that children should be raised in an " as intellectually free environment " as possible , independent of the prejudices and biases – political , moral and religious – of their parents . At the outbreak of the Second World War , Chisholm rapidly rose in stature within the Canadian military and government . He joined the war effort as a psychiatrist dealing with psychological aspects of soldier training , before rising to the rank of Director General of the Medical Services , the highest position within the medical ranks of the Canadian Army . He was the first psychiatrist to head the medical ranks of any army in the world . In 1944 , the Canadian Government created the position of Deputy Minister of Health . Chisholm was first the person to occupy the post and held it until 1946 . That same year , Chisholm took his views to the international scene , becoming the Executive Secretary of the Interim Commission of the World Health Organization , based in Geneva , Switzerland . He was one of 16 international experts consulted in drafting the agency ' s first constitution . The WHO became a permanent UN fixture in April 1948 , and Chisholm became the agency ' s first Director - General on a 46 – 2 vote . Chisholm was now in the unique position of being able to bring his views on the importance of international mental and physical health to the world . Refusing re - election , he occupied the post until 1953 , during which time the WHO dealt successfully with a cholera epidemic in Egypt , malaria outbreaks in Greece and Sardinia , and introduced shortwave epidemic - warning services for ships at sea . Chisholm was a controversial public speaker who nevertheless had great conviction , and drew much cynicism within the Canadian public for comments in the mid - 1940s that children should not be encouraged to believe in Santa Claus . Calls for his resignation as Deputy Minister of Health were quelled by his appointment as Executive Secretary of the WHO , but his public perception as " Canada ' s most famously articulate angry man " lingered . While Chisholm was Director of the UN from 1948 – 53 , he was quoted as saying " To achieve world government , it is necessary to remove from the minds of men their individualism , loyalty to family traditions , national patriotism , and religious dogmas . " Chisholm was an Honorary President of the World Federalists of Canada , President of the World Federation of Mental Health ( 1957 – 1958 ) and an Honorary Fellow of a number of prestigious medical associations . In 1959 , the American Humanist Association named him Humanist of the Year . He received numerous honorary degrees , and was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1967 . Chisholm married Grace McLean Ryrie on 21 June 1924 , and had two children , Catherine Anne and Brock Ryrie . He died on 4 February 1971 , in Veterans ' Hospital , Victoria , British Columbia , after a series of strokes . He was a Unitarian .