Lester Pearson

Interesting facts

Lester B Pearson was a Canadian diplomat and political leader. He served in the Canadian army in world was I . Pearson taut history at the University of Toronto, he then joined the Canadian diplomatic service, after serving seven years as a first secretary in the department of external affairs, he was attached to the London office of Canadian high Commission. Pearson was Canada's senior advisor at the Dumbarton Oaks.

Time Line of Lester B Pearson

1897- Lester B Pearson was born 1913- Entered the University of Toronto, majoring in history 1915- fought in the first world war 1924-1928- Pearson taught history at the University of Toronto 1928- Pearson joined the Foreign Service August 28 1928- Pearson joined external affairs as first secretary in Ottawa 1935- Pearson participated in pre-un international conference on issues such as international law and leage of nations. 1935-1941- Served in the high office of the commissioner for canada in london, U.K. May 1941- The assistant undersecretary of state, external affairs, Ottawa. June 1942- Was the minister- counselor, canadian legation in Washington, D.C. July 1944- Promoted to minister plempotentiary , canadian legation in Washington, D.C. July 1943 to October 1945- Chairman, and interim committee on food and agriculture. August 1944 to October 1944- Made canadass views known through channels to the exclusive Dumbarton OaaksConference. 1947- Chairman of the un political and security committee. 1948- Entered Parliament as a liberal September 1948- Appointed secretary of state for external affairs for canada. 1952-1953- President of the seventh un general assembly. 1956- Arab Isrseil war where he was awarded for his work there. December 1957- Recieved the nobel peace prize. 1958-1968- Liberal party leader 1962- Led his party to gain 46 seats in the election 1963-1968- Prime Minister of canada. Spring 1968- Retired from politics

Lester Bowles Pearson 1897-1972 lester b. Pearson was born April 23, 1897, in Newtonbrook near toronto. He attended university of toronto until 1915. After service aboard in the first world war he continud his education at oxford university. He was a lecturer in history in toronto until 1928, when he joined the canadian department of external as first secretary. In 1957 Pearson was awarded Nobel peace prize for his greastest dip lomaticc achievement proposal of sending un peacekeeping force to the Sues canel area. He became fourteenth prime minister of canada in 1963, when the liberal party, whos leader he was, won the elections during his term, the canadian flag was adopted. Lester b. Pearson died on December 27 1972 the new york times of December 30, 1972, said of pearson; "his skills negotiator and mediator during and after world war 2 enabled canada to play a world role out of proportion to it's size and power. His contributions to launching of the United Nations and the Alantic alliance were creative and enduring. The phase of Mr. Pearson's public life was climax by his heroic part in defusing the Sues Crisis of 1956 that might have exploded in World War 3. He richly deserved the Noble Peace prize, awarded in 1957 for he initiative in establishing the U.N. emergency force in Gaza. He brought the ten provincial premieres to Ottawa for a historic "summit". In 1968 and coazed them into a long run commitment to linguistic, cultural and educational equality for 8 million french speaking Canadians. For four decades Lester Bowles Pearson has been noted for his diplomatic sensitivity, his political acumen, and his pesonal popularity. He is affectionately called "Mike" a nick name given to him by his flying instructor in World war 1, who discarted as being insufficently bellicose. Born in Toronto of Isish stock on both sides of his family, he recieved a balanced education in politics, learning the conservative position from his father, a methodist minister, and the liberal from his mother. When Canada declared war in 1914, he volunteered to serve with a hospital unit spansored by the university. After two years in england, egypt, and greece, he was commissioned and transferredeventually to the royal flying corps but, sustaining some injuries from two accidents, one of them a plane crash, he was invalided home. He receved his degree in 1919 and then worked for two years for armour and company, a meat processing firm. Returning to academic life, pearson won a two year fellowship and en rolled at oxford university. There he excelled not only in his choosen field of history where he recived the bachelor and master degrees, also in athletics where he won his vlues in lacrosse and ice hockey and even played on the British ice hockey team in the 1922 olympics. Pearson moved forward rapidly. From 1935 to 1941 he served in the office of the high commissioner for canada in london; in May, 1941, he was appointed assistant under secertary of state for external affairs at ottawa ; in june, 1942, named minister - counselor at the canadian legation in washington; in july, 1944, promoted to the rank of minister plenipotentiary and january,1945, to the rank of ambassador. During this washington stay , pearson participated in the establishment of the united nations Relif and Rehabilitation Administration in 1943 and the United Nations food and agrlculture organization(FAO) 1943-1945 in the Dumbarton oaks Conference on preliminary discussion for an organization of the united nations; 1944 and in the San Francisco conference on the establishment of the UN (1945) When the liberals were defeated in the elections of 1957 , pearson relinquished his cabinet poast but , accepted that the leader of the opposition , began to rebuild the parth. Pearson retaired from the leadership of his party in the spring of 1968 and died in 1972.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1) htttp://collections.ic.gc.ca/heirloon_series/volume 4/228-229.htm Lester B. Pearson and The United Nations as peace Keepers

2)http://schwinger.hervard.edu/terning/bios/Pearson.html Lester Bowles Pearson (1897-1872) 3)

Back