Diefenbaker - definition of Diefenbaker by The Free Dictionary Diefenbaker - definition of Diefenbaker by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Encyclopedia , Wikipedia . Die·fen·ba·ker (dē′fən-bā′kər), John George 1895-1979. Canadian politician who served as prime minister (1957-1963). Diefenbaker n (Biography) John George. 1895–1979, Canadian Conservative statesman; prime minister of Canada (1957–63) Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: prime minister References in periodicals archive ? Younger readers who did not live through the era of Diefenbaker, Pearson and Pierre Trudeau will find much enlightenment in these pages.

The place to be in a marathon election In Kennedy and Diefenbaker: The Feud that Toppled a Government, (15) Knowlton Nash describes the intense dislike between Prime Minister Diefenbaker and President Kennedy which culminated in fierce disagreements over another issue, namely Fidel Castro and the Cuban missile crises, during which the Canadian Prime Minster at first refused to cooperate with the Americans. The Canadian Cognitive Bias and its Influence on Canada/U.S. Relations AFTER THE SOUND of an air raid siren fades, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker somberly intones, "My fellow Canadians, you have just heard the siren sound the national alert.

CanadaInfo: Government: Federal: Prime Minister: Former Prime Ministers: Diefenbaker Leader of the Opposition 1956-1957 Appointed Ellen Fairclough first woman Cabinet Minister 1957 Canadian Bill of Rights 1958 Appointed James Gladstone Canada's first Aboriginal senator 1958 Franchise extended to all Aboriginals 1960 Royal Commission on Health Services 1961 Agricultural Rehabilitation and Development Act 1961 Created the National Productivity Council (Economic Council of Canada) 1963 Leader of the Opposition 1963-1967 Descriptive Biography While previous prime ministers had concerned themselves with the reconciliation of French and English culture in Canada, John Diefenbaker aspired to include those of other ethnic extractions in the national identity. Furthermore, he drew attention to the rights of Canada's indigenous population, who had also been left out of the "two founding nations" equation. Under his prime ministership, Canada's Aboriginal peoples were allowed to vote federally for the first time, and James Gladstone, a member of the Blood tribe was the first native person appointed to the Senate.

Diefenbaker's political career is a lesson in determination and tenacity. He met with failure and opposition many times in his life, but never let it prevent him from pursuing his goals. John George Diefenbaker was born in Neustadt, Ontario in 1895; his parents were of German and Scottish decent. His family moved to Fort Carlton, north of Saskatoon in 1903 where the Diefenbakers homesteaded. John's father taught school and encouraged his sons to read. At a young age Diefenbaker read a book about Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier and decided that someday he too would lead Canada. Diefenbaker attended the University of Saskatchewan, graduating with a general B.A. in 1915 and an M.A. in political science and economics in 1916. He enlisted in the army in 1916 and served briefly in Britain, before being invalided home the following year. Returning to the university to study law, he graduated with an LL.B. in 1919. He set up a law practice in Wakaw, near Prince Albert.

Diefenbaker quickly established himself as a sucessful criminal lawyer. Over his 20-year career, he defended 18 men of the death penalty. Diefenbaker had not forgotten his political ambitions. However his attemps to enter politics at any level initially met with failure. He ran for a seat in the House of Commons in 1925 and 1926, but lost. He tried the provincial legislature in 1929 and 1938, with no luck. His attempt to run for mayor of Prince Albert in 1933 also failed. Diefenbaker was elected leader of the Conservative party of Saskatchewan in 1936, but the party won no seats in the 1938 election. Finally in the 1940 election, he won a Commons seat in the Opposition. The Conservatives remained in opposition throughout the King and St. Laurent governments. It was here that Diefenbaker began his campaign for the average Canadian and ethnic minorities. In 1942, he criticized the government's treatment of Japanese-Canadians.

He even opposed his own parties in his crusades; in 1948 he blocked a Conservative campaign to outlaw the Communist party. Diefenbaker stood as a candidate for leadership of the party in 1942 and in 1948, but lost both times. He finally succeeded in 1956. As Opposition leader, he harried the Liberals throughout the Pipeline Debate and discredited them in the eyes of electorate. In the 1957 election, Canadians saw for the first time Diefenbaker's remarkable campaign style. Part circus barker, part vaudeville actor, Diefenbakers theatrical delivery entertained Canadians, and his appeal to the farmer, store-owner and factory-worker won their hearts and their votes. He became "Dief, the Chief." The Conservatives won a minority government in 1957 and the following year were returned with, at that time the greatest majority of seats in Canadian history. But Diefenbaker's policies were radical and often contrary to traditional Conservative values. The fact that the party had been out of office for twenty-two years added to their problems. Nevertheless, Diefenbaker introduced legislation that improved social programs.

His Agricultural Rehabilitation and Development Act helped many farmers across Canada and he found a new market in China for their wheat. Diefenbaker initiated projects to revive the Maritimes. The first woman federal Cabinet minister, Ellen Fairclough, was appointed by Diefenbaker. He championed human rights outside of Canada by supporting the independence of many non-white Commonwealth countries. His anti-apartheid statement in 1961 contributed to the withdrawl of South Africa from the Commonwealth. Diefenbaker antagonized the Americans by refusing to support their hostilities against Cuba. But high unemployment, the devaluation of the dollar and the cancellation of the Avro Arrow project eroded the Tories' popularity. They were reduced to a minority government in 1962 and lost to the Liberals in the election the following year. Diefenbaker's radical policies eventually alienated his party. A leadership review was called and he lost to Robert Stanfield in 1967. Neverless, he continued to represent his riding in the Commons. He won his last election in 1979, three months before his death on August 16. Sir John A.

Macdonald was Diefenbaker's hero, and he was determined to have a state funeral as grand as that which had honoured Canada's first prime minister. A special train bore the Chief's body back to Sasktoon where he was buried. SOURCE: Library and Archives Canada. See also John Diefenbaker » J.J.'s Complete Guide to Canada Full name: John George Diefenbaker Born: September 18, 1895, Neustadt, Ontario Died: August 16, 1979, Ottawa, Ontario Served: June 21, 1957 to April 22, 1963 (5 years) Party: Conservative Prime Minister Diefenbaker’s administration represented the last gasp of a dying strain of Canadian politics and nationalism. Madly in love with Britain and frightened and fearful of the United States, his five years in power were erratic and eccentric — much like the man himself. Raised in rural Saskatchewan, “Dief” weathered the Depression as a successful small-town lawyer, where he perfected a highly theatrical, flamboyant style that would become his trademark in politics.

Notoriously unlucky in elections, Diefenbaker ran unsuccessfully for all sorts of offices before finally entering Parliament in 1940, and becoming Conservative leader (on his third try) in 1956. At the time of the 1957 federal election Canada had been under Liberal rule for 22 years, allowing Diefenbaker to win a narrow minority government victory by campaigning against the party’s arrogance and corruption. As prime minister, he attempted to push the country back into a more pro-Commonwealth, anti-American direction, feuding with President Kennedy (1917-1963) and trying to divert more trade to Britain. Though grandiose in his rhetoric and vision, Diefenbaker was not much for day-to-day policy, and his administration’s poor handling of the economy led to giant deficits and a sliding Canadian dollar. In the realm of Cold War policy, things weren’t much better. To this day, Diefenbaker’s term is often remembered for his uncooperative actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) and his decision to destroy Canada’s famed Avro Arrow bomber jets, both for seemingly vain and petty reasons.

Notoriously paranoid, Dief routinely portrayed himself as the last guardian of Canadian sovereignty in the face of a hostile U.S. administration and a pro-American Liberal Party. When he lost reelection in 1963, he maintained it was the result of an American conspiracy, and remained a loud and brash backbench Member of Parliament until his death in 1979. John George Diefenbaker [dE' fen bAk ur] Prime Minister of Canada, 1957-1963 Early Life and Education John George Diefenbaker was born in Neustadt, Ontario, on September 18, 1895, the first child of William and Mary Florence (Bannerman) Diefenbaker. One brother, Elmer, was born in 1897. His father was a teacher who moved the family often in search of better pay, from Neustadt to Greenwood and then to Todmorden. The family was finally able to settle down in 1903, when William Diefenbaker accepted a teaching position at a rural school near Fort Carlton, Northwest Territories (now in Saskatchewan).

John and his brother attended their father's school until 1910, when the family moved to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, so John could attend high school. After graduating from high school in 1912, Diefenbaker entered the University of Saskatchewan, where he studied arts and law and was active in campus politics. He received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1915 and his Master of Arts in 1916. Diefenbaker was commissioned a Lieutenant in the 196th Battalion of the Canadian Army in May 1916 and sent to England for pre-deployment training in September. He was sent home in 1917 after being deemed medically unfit for service at the front. Legal Career Diefenbaker received his law degree from the University of Saskatchewan in May 1919. He was called to the Saskatchewan Bar on June 30, 1919, and opened a small office in Wakaw, Saskatchewan, the next day. He almost immediately established himself as an eloquent and successful defense lawyer, winning almost half of the 62 jury trials he tried in his first year of practice.

His first court case involved the defense of a client accused of careless wounding with a rifle. The assailant had immediately offered first aid and turned himself in to the police. Diefenbaker argued successfully in October 1919 that the shooting was an error committed in the fading evening light. In 1924 Diefenbaker took on a partner, Alexander Ehman, in his Wakaw office and moved his own practice to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Two other partners succeeded Ehman before Diefenbaker closed the Wakaw branch in 1929. As a major city, Prince Albert had far more serious crime than Wakaw, and Diefenbaker became well known for his defense of clients accused of murder. In The King v. Bourdon (1927), he initially appeared as junior counsel but became the lead. The defendant was found not guilty. In The King v. Olson (1928), Diefenbaker requested on appeal that a conviction for murder be quashed on the ground that the trial judge had improperly directed the jury.

The judgement was sustained, but on the court's recommendation Diefenbaker petitioned for mercy, claiming that the defendant had been mentally incapable of standing trial, and the federal Cabinet commuted the sentence to life imprisonment. He was similarly successful in The King v. Pasowesty in having a death sentence commuted to life imprisonment. He was unsuccessful in The King v. Wysochan when he defended his client by arguing that the murder had been committed by the victim's husband. In The King v. Bajer his client, a destitute young woman with two children, was found not guilty of suffocating her newborn child. He was unsuccessful in The King v. Bohun, his client being found guilty of murdering a storekeeper. In The King v. Fouquette, the crown stayed charges through lack of evidence and the murder remained unsolved. In The King v. Harms Diefenbaker called for a verdict of manslaughter in an unwitnessed alcoholic killing. John Harms was convicted of murder, but Diefenbaker successfully appealed on the ground of an improper charge to the jury. At the second trial he presented meticulous evidence of Harms's intoxication and won conviction on the reduced charge.

Harms was sentenced to a prison term of 15 years. Diefenbaker became a King's Counsel in 1929. In 1930 he served as junior counsel to the Bryant Charges Commission, which was investigating Conservative claims that the previous government had interfered with the operations of the provincial police force for partisan advantage. The commission ended its proceedings in early 1931 without coming to any conclusions. He served as vice-president of the Canadian Bar Association from 1939 to 1940. Member of Parliament Diefenbaker first entered politics in 1925, when he ran for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons as the Conservative Party (Progressive Conservative Party as of 1942) candidate from Prince Albert. He finished third behind the Liberal and Progressive candidates. The winner of the 1925 election, Charles McDonald, soon gave up his seat in order to open a place for Prime Minister Mackenzie King, who had been defeated in Ontario. King won the February 15, 1926 by-election easily and managed to stay on as Prime Minister, but was forced to resign several months later.

Parliament was subsequently dissolved, and Diefenbaker stood against King in the elections held on September 14, 1926. Despite a vigorous campaign by Diefenbaker, King won easily and regained his position as Prime Minister. Having lost two bids for a seat in the House of Commons, Diefenbaker decided to try for a seat in the Saskatchewan Legislature in 1929. As did almost every other Conservative candidate across the country, he lost to a member of the Liberal Party. In 1933 he ran for Mayor of Prince Albert. He was defeated by 48 votes in an election in which over 2,000 votes were cast. Despite his string of election losses, he became leader of the Saskatchewan Conservative Party in 1936. He made another bid for the Saskatchewan Legislature in 1938, and once again lost to a Liberal candidate. Diefenbaker finally made it to the House of Commons when he defeated the Liberal Party incumbent from Lake Centre on March 25, 1940. He was re-elected by Lake Centre in 1949, and from Prince Albert in 1953.

He made his maiden speech as an MP on June 23, 1940, supporting wartime rules that allowed arrest and detention without trial. He vehemently opposed the government's forceful removal of Canadians of Japanese descent from the Pacific Coast, but his efforts were unsuccessful. Although he failed to win a 1941 election as Conservative Party leader in the House of Commons, Diefenbaker proved to be a very forceful and vocal member of the House. Always a strong advocate for individual rights, Difenbaker argued for adoption of a national bill of rights; he failed to get such a bill passed in 1946, but succeeded in getting one passed after he became Prime Minister (in 1960). The first legilation he introduced into the House of Commons was the Canadian Citizenship Act. Prior to the act's passage in 1946, individuals born in Canada and naturalized immigrants were classified as British subjects rather than Canadian citizens. In 1948, the Progressive Conservatve Party met to choose a leader to succeed John Bracken, who had defeated Diefenbaker in the 1941 leadership election.

Some members wanted Diefenbaker, but George Drew was ultimately elected. Diefenbaker remained a vocal member of the House of Commons, and in 1956 was chosen to succeed Drew, who had resigned due to ill health. Prime Minister Progressive Conservatives as a whole did not expect victory over the Liberals in 1957, but Diefenbaker waged a vigorous campaign in which he charged that the Liberals had become too powerful. The campaign worked, as the Progressive Conservatives won 112 seats in the House of Commons; the Liberals won 105, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation got 25, and the Social Credit Party won 19. Although it was not a decisive majority, the Progressive Conservatives had won the prime ministership, and Diefenbaker was sworn in on June 21, 1957, becoming the first Conservative Prime Minister since Richard R. Bennett (1930-1935). One of his first actions was to appoint Ellen Fairclough as Secretary of State, making her the first woman to hold a Cabinet post in Canada.

The 23rd Canadian Parliament did not open until October 14, but once in session it acted very quickly and passed several Diefenbaker-sponsored bills, including an increase in old-age pensions, loans to economically depressed areas, and financial aid to expand hydroelectric power in the Atlantic provinces. The wave of social legislation boosted the Progressive Conservatives' standings in the polls, so Diefenbaker decided to call for new elections in 1958, believing that his party would gain a far greater majority in the House of Commons. His belief was well founded, as the Progressive Conservatives won 208 of the 265 seats, the largest parliamentary majority in Canadian history. The Progressive Conservative majority allowed Diefenbaker to continue and expand his social reform, including increased pensions for the blind and disabled, a program of federal hospital insurance, and the building of roads into the minerally rich but undeveloped northern areas.In 1960 he succeeded in getting the Canadian Bill of Rights passed. In that same year, First Nations peoples were given the right to vote in federal elections without first having to give up their treaty rights.

Diefenbaker had already appointed the first First Nations member of the Senate, James Gladstone, in 1958. Quebec Diefenbaker's pursuit of equality for all Canadians made him unwilling to make special concessions to Quebec's French-Canadians. He did, however, recommend the appointment of the first French-Canadian Governor-General, Georges Vanier. Bank of Canada Diefenbaker's first major conflict as Prime Minister revolved around Bank of Canada Governor James Coyne, whose tight monetary policies clashed with Diefenbaker's economic policy. Appointed by former Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent to a term expiring in December 1961, Coyne could only be dismissed before then by the passing of an Act of Parliament. Diefenbaker was able to get the House of Commons to pass such an act, but the Liberal-controlled Senate refused to confirm the act. Coyne was, however, finally convinced to resign after facing questions about the Bank's pension plan. Economic Problems In the early 1960's, Canada was importing far more from the United States than it exported there.

In order to improve the trade balance, Diefenbaker wanted Canadians to increase their trade with nations of the British Commonwealth, and the government set up restrictions designed to discourage investing abroad. The measures did not solve the problem, however. Canada also faced major unemployment, with up to 11 per cent of the work force unable to find employment in 1961 and 1962. In mid-1962 the government was forced to adopt austerity measures. Spending was reduced, tariffs on imports were increased, and loans totaling almost $1 billion were obtained from foreign banks. By the time Diefenbaker called an election for June 18, 1962, the combination of Diefenbaker's unwillingness to compromise with Quebec, his quarrel with the Bank of Canada, and the still lagging economy had seriously damaged the Progressive Conservatives' image. That image was further tarnished when the Bank of Canada had to devalue the Canadian Dollar to 92-1/2 cents (from 95 cents compared to the U.S. dollar).

In response, people across the country passed out satirical "Diefenbucks" prior to and during the 1962 campaign. The Progressive Conservatives managed to win the most seats in Parliament, but did not have an absolute majority. Diefenbaker was only able to maintain the prime ministership because the small Social Credit Party agreed to support him. Foreign Policy As Prime Minister, Diefenbaker was eager to make an impact on the international scene equalling that of his political rival, Lester B. Pearson . In the summer of 1958 he had welcomed both British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ottawa, and in the autumn of that year he toured Europe and the Asian Commonwealth. In Europe he gained the respect of President Charles de Gaulle of France, Chancellor Konrad Adenauer of the German Federal Republic, and Prime Minister Amintore Fanfani of Italy. In Asia he admired the anti-communism of Pakistani dictator General Mohammad Ayub Khan and the political realism of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of India, while warning against the neutralism of Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike of Ceylon.

South Africa One of the major issues facing the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference in London, England, in May 1960, was whether to exclude South Africa from membership in the Commonwealth as long as it continued its policy of apartheid. Although he vehemently opposed South Africa's policies, Diefenbaker disagreed with exclusion because he did not believe the Commonwealth had the right to interfere in the domestic affairs of its members. He and Macmillan were able to work out a deal in which the conference offered South Africa time to revise its policies by agreeing that in the event it chose to become a republic, it would have to request consent from other Commonwealth members for readmission to the association. When South Africa's whites voted in October 1960 in favour of a republic, Prime Minister Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd announced that he would seek continuing Commonwealth membership at the Prime Ministers' meeting in March 1961. At that conference, Diefenbaker advocated a declaration of principles to be adopted before a decision on South Africa's readmission. The effect would be to force a choice on South Africa rather than on the other members.

When Verwoerd called for additional wording which would exclude his country's practices from blame, Diefenbaker sided with the non-white leaders in rejecting the proposal. Verwoerd withdrew the South African application and left the meeting. The conference did not adopt any declaration of principles, Diefenbaker received wide praise at home and abroad for his defense of the principle of non-discrimination. United States U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower showed constant respect and consideration toward Diefenbaker, despite disagreements in joint defense policy and other matters. As his last official act before departing office, Eisenhower invited Diefenbaker to the White House for a ceremonial signing of the contentious Columbia River Treaty, on January 17, 1961. Nuclear Controversy Diefenbaker's relationship with Eisenhower's successor, John F. Kennedy , was strained from the very beginning, and only got worse. To Diefenbaker's intense annoyance, Kennedy called him "Diefenbawker" when he first became president.

To Kennedy's annoyance, Diefenbaker refused to accept any missiles armed with nuclear warheads in the country, despite Canada having signed an agreement with the United States to accept such missiles as part of a mutual defense and security treaty. Formal negotiations for an agreement on the warheads made no progress. Relations between the United States and Canada reached their lowest point on January 30, 1963, when the United States charged that Canada had failed to propose a practical plan for arming its forces against a possible Russian attack. Diefenbaker angrily responded by saying that the U.S. statement was "an unwarranted intrusion in Canadian affairs." Liberal leader Lester B. Pearson, meanwhile, declared that Canada should live up to its agreement and accept the nuclear warheads. The dispute over the nuclear warheads, combined with a still lagging economy and other issues, led the House of Commons to pass a a motion of no-confidence in the Diefenbaker government, on February 5, 1963. In elections held in April, the Liberals won 120 seats, the Progressive Conservatives 95.

Difenbaker formally resigned as Prime Minister on April 22, 1963, and was succeeded by long-time nemesis Lester B. Pearson. Later Career Diefenbaker led the opposition in Parliament unril 1967, during which time he was often so intent on opposing Pearson that he brought Parliamentary business to a near standstill. In 1967 his party colleagues voted to replace Diefenbaker with Robert L. Stanfield. Diefenbaker continued to represent Prince Albert in the House of Commons until his death, which came in Ottawa on August 16, 1979. Diefenbaker's state funeral, which he had planned himself, was the most elaborate in Canadian history. His open casket lay in the Parliamentary Hall of Honour for three days before being moved in a ceremonial parade to Christ Church Cathedral for an interfaith service. From Ottawa, an eight-car funeral train carried the coffin and more than 100 passengers westwards to Prince Albert and Saskatoon, with stops both scheduled and unscheduled for crowds along the way. He was buried beside the Right Honourable John G.

Diefenbaker Centre, which had been constructed on the grounds of the University of Saskatchewan to house his papers and relics. The body of his late wife Olive was moved from Ottawa to lie beside him. Marriages Diefenbaker married Edna May Brower, a Saskatoon schoolteacher in 1929. She died of leukemia in February 1951. In 1953 he married Mrs. Olive Freeman Palmer, an old friend from Wakaw; she was a widow with a grown daughter and gave up her job as assistant director of the Ontario Department of Education to remarry. She died in 1976. World Book Encyclopedia Chicago: World Book-Childcraft International, Inc., 1979 Diefenbaker Web - First Diefenbaker government sworn in July - Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference, London 7 Sept. - Diefenbaker delivers major speech on Canadian-U.S. relations at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire 23 Sept. - Speaks before United Nations General Assembly 14 Oct. - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II opens Parliament 20 Dec.

1957 - John Diefenbaker is sworn in as a member of Her Majesty's Imperial Privy council in London, England 16 Jan. - Lester B. Pearson elected leader of Liberal Party 31 Jan. - Atlantic Provinces Power Development Act and Agricultural Stabilization Act passed 1 Feb. - James Gladstone, a Blood Indian from Alberta, appointed to the senate 1 Feb. - Parliament dissolved, pending an election 31 March - Federal election: Conservatives 208, Liberals 48, Other 9; largest majority ever recorded 1 July - CBC opens coast to coast live TV network 9 July - President Eisenhower addresses joint Houses of Parliament 10 July - Joint Canada-U.S. cabinet committee on Defence formed 5 Sept. - First Canadian Bill of Rights introduced in Parliament by John Diefenbaker 7 Nov. 1958 - Act to amend Old Age Security Act passed which increased payments and changed requirements to receive payment Nov.-Dec. - John Diefenbaker makes world tour visiting Commonwealth countries including Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Australia 20 Feb.

- Batoche opened as a National Historic Site 13 July - James Coyne resigns as Governor of the Bank of Canada 21 July - Town of Inuvik officially dedicated 22 July - Opening of microwave communications system at Whitehorse 3 Aug. - T.C. Douglas becomes leader of the NDP 28 March - Canada sells $75 million wheat shipment to China 2 May - Canadian dollar fixed at 92 1/2 cents U.S. 18 June 1962 - Federal election results: Progressive Conservatives 116, Liberals 100, Social Credit 30, NDP 19; Diefenbaker minority government 3 Sept. 1962 - Trans-Canada highway opened at Roger's Pass 10-19 Sept. - Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference in London 22 Oct. - U.S. naval quarantine of Cuba 6 Nov. - Government survives two non-confidence motions: 121 to 213 and 121 to 208 14 Jan. - DeGaulle vetoes Britain's entry into the European Common Market 31 Jan.

1963 - Spokesmen from all parties in the House of Commons condemn U.S. State Department statement on nuclear weapons in Canada as unwarranted intrusion 4 Feb. - Harkness resigns as Minister of Defence over nuclear weapons policy 5 Feb. - Government defeated twice on non-confidence motions: 140-109 6 Feb. John Diefenbaker, Prime minister • Biography & Facts John Diefenbaker Prime minister John George Diefenbaker PC, CH, QC (/ˈdiːfənˌbeɪkər/; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957, to April 22, 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative (PC or Tory) party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an election victory, doing so three times, although only once with a majority of seats in the Canadian House of Commons.Diefenbaker was born in southwestern Ontario in 1895.

In 1903, his family migrated west to the portion of the North-West Territories which would shortly thereafter become the province of Saskatchewan. He grew up in the province, and was interested in politics from a young age. After brief service in World War I, Diefenbaker became a lawyer. He contested elections through the 1920s and 1930s with little success until he was finally elected to the House of Commons in 1940.In the House of Commons, Diefenbaker was repeatedly a candidate for the PC leadership. He gained that party position in 1956, on his third attempt. In 1957, he led the Tories to their first electoral victory in 27 years; a year later he called a snap election and spearheaded them to one of their greatest triumphs. Diefenbaker appointed the first female minister in Canadian history to his Cabinet, as well as the first aboriginal member of the Senate. During his six years as Prime Minister, his government obtained passage of the Canadian Bill of Rights and granted the vote to the First Nations and Inuit peoples.

In foreign policy, his stance against apartheid helped secure the departure of South Africa from the Commonwealth of Nations, but his indecision on whether to accept Bomarc nuclear missiles from the United States led to his government's downfall. Diefenbaker is also remembered for his role in the 1959 cancellation of the Avro Arrow project.Even though factionalism within the party was muted by Diefenbaker's electoral success, it surged again as the Progressive Conservatives lost support, falling from office in 1963, and his opponents were able to force a leadership convention in 1967. Diefenbaker stood for re-election as party leader at the last moment, but only attracted minimal support and withdrew. He remained an MP until his death in 1979, two months after Joe Clark became the first Tory Prime Minister since Diefenbaker. Personal facts The Right Honourable John George Diefenbaker 1957-1963 Progressive Conservative "I am the first prime minister of this country of neither altogether English or French origin. So I determined to bring about a Canadian citizenship that knew no hyphenated consideration....

I'm very happy to be able to say that in the House of Commons today in my party we have members of Italian, Dutch, German, Scandinavian, Chinese and Ukrainian origin - and they are all Canadians." John Diefenbaker, March 29, 1958 Private Life Did You Know? In order to help pay his way through the University of Saskatchewan law courses, young John Diefenbaker peddled his bicycle for miles from farm to farm selling books. Born: September 18, 1895, Neustadt, Ontario. Education: University of Saskatchewan, B.A., 1915, M.A. in Political Science and Economics, 1916, and LL.B. 1919. Enlisted in the army, 1916. Served for one year in Britain before being invalidated and returning home. (Returned to university to study law and graduated in 1919.) Marriage: Edna Bower (1901-1951) in 1929. Re-Married: Olive Palmer (1902-1976) in 1953. One step-daughter.

Died: August 16, 1979 in Ottawa, Ontario, of heart failure. Buried beside the Right Honourable John G. Diefenbaker Centre, University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Political Career Did You Know? Over his 20-year career as a successful criminal lawyer, John Diefenbaker defended 18 men seeking to avoid the death penalty. Constituencies: Lake Centre, Saskatchewan, 1940-1953; Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, 1953-1979. Failed attempts to get a seat in the House of Commons, 1925 and 1926. Failed attempts to get into Saskatchewan legislature, 1929 and 1938. Failed attempt to be elected mayor of Prince Albert, 1933. Elected Conservative Party Leader, 1936. Won a Commons seat in the Opposition, 1940. Began his campaign for the rights of average Canadians and ethnic minorities. Criticized the Liberals' treatment of Japanese-Canadians in World War II, 1942. Blocked a Conservative campaign to outlaw the Communist Party.

Lost attempts at Conservative Party Leadership, 1942 and 1948. Succeeded in 1956. Leader of the Opposition, 1956-1957. Somewhere between a circus barker and vaudevillian, Diefenbaker's theatrics grated on the Liberals during the Pipeline Debate (see St. Laurent ) and discredited them in the eyes of Canadians. Diefenbaker became known as 'Dief, the Chief'. Progressive Conservative Party Leader, 1956-1967. Won a minority government, 1957. Diefenbaker's politics were radical and often contrary to Conservative values. None-the-less, 'the Chief' introduced legislation improving Canada's social programs. Minister of External Affairs, 1957. Appointed Ellen Fairclough as Canada's first female Cabinet Minister, 1957. Won a majority government with, until this time, the greatest number of seats in Canadian history, 1958. Established the Canadian Bill of Rights, 1958. Appointed James Gladstone as Canada's first Aboriginal senator, 1958.

Previous prime ministers had attempted to reconcile the French and English cultures in Canada. Diefenbaker attempted to include other ethnics in the 'national identity'. Diefenbaker also drew attention to the rights of Canada's indigenous population. For the first time, People of the First Nations were allowed to vote in federal elections. Did You Know? In September 1960, Diefenbaker addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations condemning communism years before the fall of communism and the Berlin Wall. Diefenbaker called for nuclear disarmament years before it became an international issue. In 1961, Diefenbaker denounced aparthied in South Africa, calling for racial equality years before other nations joined the cause. Acting Minister of External Affairs, 1959. Franchise extended to all Aboriginals, 1960. Established the Royal Commission on Health Services, 1961. Created the Agricultural Rehabilitation and Development Act, 1961, helping Canadian farmers. He also found a new market for Canadian wheat in China. Fought for human rights outside Canada by supporting non-white Commonwealth countries in gaining independence.

Diefenbaker's anti-apartheid statement, 1961, contributed to South Africa withdrawing from the Commonwealth. Raised the ire of the United States by refusing to support actions against Cuba. Reduced to a minority government, 1962, a direct result of high unemployment, a devalued dollar, and the cancellation of the Avro Arrow project. ( The Maverick Homepage - Excellent personal website with emphasis on the Avro Arrow.) President of the Privy Council, 1962-1963. Created the National Productivity Council (Economic Council of Canada), 1963. Leader of the Opposition, 1963-1967. The Chief's radical politics eventually alienated the Conservative Party. A leadership review was called and Diefenbaker lost to Robert Stanfield, 1967. Continued to represent his riding in the Commons and won his last election, 1979, only 3 months before his death. A special train returned Diefenbaker's body back to Saskatoon where he was buried.

*(Progressive) Conservative *Liberal *Unionist/Conservative John Diefenbaker | Murat Shrine John Diefenbaker (1895 - 1979) Former Canadian Prime Minister For 22 years Canada's Liberal party had controlled the government under two successive prime ministers. Then in June 1957 John Diefenbaker led the Progressive Conservatives to victory, but by a very close margin. Nine months later, as Prime Minister, he called for another election. This time his party won by the greatest landslide in Canada' s history. John George Diefenbaker was born on Sept. 18, 1895, in Newstadt, Ontario. His father was a schoolteacher. When the boy was 8, the family moved to a homestead in Saskatchewan. His father tutored him until he was ready for high school at which time the family sold their wheat farm and moved to Saskatoon. In 1916 John Diefenbaker received his M.A. in political science from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. After serving in World War I, he returned to the university and got a law degree in 1919.

He made his home in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and became an outstanding criminal lawyer. In 1929 he married Edna May Brower who died in 1951. In 1953 he re-married to Olive Freeman Palmer. The "prairie lawyer" lost five elections until at last, in 1940, he won a seat in the House of Commons. In 1956 he became leader of the opposition. In the 1957 elections, charging that the Liberals had become too powerful, he replaced Louis St. Laurent as Prime Minister. In March 1958 Diefenbaker campaigned against the new Liberal leader, Lester B. Pearson, former minister for external affairs and winner of a Nobel peace prize. A new spirit of nationalism had developed in Canada. Diefenbaker sensed this and gave the people a "vision of a new and greater Canada," less dependent economically upon the United States. He won 10 of the 12 provinces and territories. In 1962 he was reelected by a small margin and formed a coalition government.

It fell in 1963 on the issue of his refusal to accept nuclear weapons from the United States. Pearson became Prime Minister after the April elections. Diefenbaker remained the opposition leader until 1967, when he was succeeded by Robert L. Stanfield of Nova Scotia. He was elected for a record 13th term in the House of Commons in May 1979. The Diefenbaker years (1957-63) saw the passage of the Canadian Bill of Rights, a "roads-to- resources" program to encourage the development of northern resources, legislation providing support for agriculture, encouragement of technical training and improved health and welfare programs. Regional development was emphasized by significant public works such as construction of the South Saskatchewan Dam, and simultaneous translation was introduced in the House of Commons. Diefenbaker died Aug. 16, 1979 at his home in Rockliffe Park, Ottawa. 1000+ images about Canadian Prime Ministers on Pinterest | Prime minister, John diefenbaker and Brian mulroney Forward Sir John A. Macdonald (1815 – 1891) was born in Scotland.

He was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century. Macdonald served 19 years as Canadian Prime Minister (the 2nd longest). He lost office for 5 years in the 1870s over the Pacific Scandal (bribery in the financing of the CPR). After regaining his position, he saw the railroad through to completion in 1885, which helped unite Canada. See More

Question: In June 1957, John Diefenbaker became Prime Minister of which country?
Answer: Canada