Lester B. Pearson

Lester Bowles Pearson PC OM CC OBE (23 April 1897 - 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, scholar, soldier, and diplomat who served as the 14th Prime Minister of Canada,Lester Pearson Dies at 75; Led Canada, Won a Nobel - Jay Walz - 28 December 1972 - The New York Times - Retrieved 1 December 2024 from 1963 to 1968.From Rust to Glory: Prime Minister Pearson’s Buick to be restored - Dale Johnson - 24 November 2023 - The Kindersley Clarion - Retrieved 1 December 2024 Pearson's tenure is remembered for ushering major reforms during his two minority governments, such as the institution of universal healthcare, the creation of the Maple Leaf flag and the Order of Canada, and the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces. Pearson's foreign policy included accepting American nuclear Bomarc missiles on Canadian soil at the height of the Cold War, support for the peaceful transition of power in Rhodesia from the white minority to the Black majority, and a refusal to enter Canada into the Vietnam War.
Pearson enlisted in the Canadian Army Medical Corps in 1915. He transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917, and finished his World War I service after being hit in a vehicular accident caused by a blackout.For Peace & Progress - Sharon Adams - 16 September 2022 - Legion Magazine - Retrieved 7 December 2024 - Archived 7 December 2024 After the war, Pearson became a university lecturer.Once Upon a City: Lester B. Pearson’s peacekeeping legacy - 7 June 2017 - The Toronto Star - Retrieved 7 December 2024 - Archived 7 December 2024 Pearson served as 1st secretary in the Department of External Affairs from 1928 to 1935.Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson enjoys visit to Jamaica - 29 November 1965 - The Jamaica Gleaner - Retrieved 1 December 2024 After locating a leak in the government of R. B. Bennett, he was posted to the Canadian High Commission, where he served as second-in-command to Canadian High Commissioner Vincent Massey.
During the 1945 San Francisco Conference that established the United Nations, Canadian diplomats took active part in the negotiations.Founding the United Nations: Canada at San Francisco, 1945 - 1 September 2005 - Policy Options - Retrieved 5 December 2024 - Archived 5 December 2024 Pearson was a key figure among them.REMEMBER THIS: Canada played pivotal role in UN's creation - Richard MacLeod - 20 January 2024 - Newmarket News - Retrieved 1 December 2024 Pearson was responsible for drafting Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty.Canada helped make NATO a political forum. Now it struggles with its own creation - Murray Brewster - 15 July 2023 - CBC News - Retrieved 1 December 2024 - Archived 1 December 2024 William Lyon Mackenzie King appointed Pearson to the position of Secretary of State for External Affairs in 1948 prior to his retirement; after winning a by-election, Pearson served in the position as part of Louis St. Laurent's cabinet.
In 1956, the Suez Canal was nationalised by Egypt under the orders of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Anthony Eden plotted alongside Prime Minister of France Guy Mollet to reassert colonial dominance via military occupation of the canal zone. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's government lead talks between the nations to prevent the outbreak of war, frustrating Eden and Mollet. The European leaders conspired with the government of Israel for the third country to invade Egyptian soil so that British and French troops could pose as peacekeepers. On 29 October, Ariel Sharon lead Israeli forces into Egypt. Nasser did not accept the Anglo-French ultimatum to cease fire, prompting the European armies to invade Egypt seeking to topple Nasser.An affair to remember - 27 July 2006 - The Economist - Retrieved 1 December 2024 - Archived 26 March 2021 On 2 November, Pearson rose in the United Nations General Assembly with a proposal for the creation of the United Nations Emergency Force,Peacekeeping Reimagined - Colin McCullough - 6 November 2017 - Policy Options - Retrieved 1 December 2024 the first United Nations peacekeeping force.The first peacekeepers - Sharon Adams - 24 November 2021 - Legion Magazine - Retrieved 1 December 2024 Pearson won a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in ending the crisis,Lester Bowles Pearson - NobelPrize.org - Retrieved 1 December 2024Lester B. Pearson & The United Nations As Peacekeepers Planting Seeds For World Peace - Bibliothèque et Archives Canada - Retrieved 5 December 2024 - Archived 5 December 2024 the first Canadian to earn the honour.When Lester Pearson became the 1st Canadian Nobel Peace Prize laureate - 14 October 2018 - CBC News - Retrieved 1 December 2024
Of his cabinet ministers, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, John Turner, and Jean Chrétien all became Prime Minister over the next three decades.The best prime minister from 1953 to 2003? - 1 July 2003 - Policy Options - Retrieved 1 December 2024 - Archived 23 March 2024 Paul Martin, Jr. and Justin Trudeau, both sons of members of Pearson's cabinet, also obtained the position.Review: Paul Martin Sr. biography gives Catholic politician recognition he rarely received - Alan Hustak - 29 May 2016 - The Catholic Register - Retrieved 6 December 2024Say what you like about Justin Trudeau, he is qualified to be prime minister - Will Greaves - 10 October 2024 - Canada's National Observer - Retrieved 6 December 2024 In 2003, Pearson was named in surveys run by Policy Options as the best prime minister of the past 50 years. Maclean's named him 6th, 4th, and 5th best in 1997, 2011, and 2016.Historians rank the BEST AND WORST Canadian Prime Ministers - Norman Hillmer and J. L. Granatstein - 21 April 1997 - Maclean's - Retrieved 6 December 2024 - Archived 19 July 2001Canada’s best prime ministers - Norman Hillmer and Stephen Azzi - 10 June 2011 - Maclean's - Retrieved 6 December 2024 - Archived 6 December 2024Ranking Canada’s best and worst prime ministers - Stephen Azzi and Norman Hillmer - 7 October 2016 - Maclean's - Retrieved 6 December 2024 - Archived 6 December 2024 He was additionally named the sixth greatest Canadian overall in 2004.Tommy Douglas crowned 'Greatest Canadian' - 29 November 2004 - CBC - Retrieved 12 November 2024
== Legacy ==
=== Family ===
Pearson's granddaughter Anne gave a speech at Stratford city hall for the marking of United Nations Day in 2023.Granddaughter of Nobel Prize winner to speak at United Nations Day event - 16 October 2023 - Stratford Today - Retrieved 6 December 2024 - Archived 6 December 2024
=== Memorials and Monuments ===
A statue of Pearson was completed in 1989.Statues, monuments and memorials of the Hill - Canada.ca - Retrieved 6 December 2024 - Archived 6 December 2024 It was unveiled on Parliament Hill in 1990 by former Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, then-current PM Brian Mulroney, and future PM Jean Chrétien.Today in Canada’s Political History: Lester B. Pearson’s Hill Statue Dedicated - Arthur Milnes - 26 December 2021 - National Newswatch - Retrieved 6 December 2024 - Archived 6 December 2024Today in Canada's Political History - September 26, 1990: Lester Pearson’s Parliament Hill statue dedicated - Arthur Milnes - 26 December 2024 - National Newswatch - Retrieved 6 December 2024 - Archived 6 December 2024
==Links==
*Lester B. Pearson on Wikipedia
*Lester B. Pearson on the Canadian Encyclopedia
*Lester B. Pearson on Encyclopædia Britannica
==References==
==Navigation==
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