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The Right Honourable Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (April 23, 1897 - December 27, 1972) was the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 22, 1963, to April 20, 1968, and also a 1957 Nobel Laureate. He was born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of Toronto), the son of a Methodist preacher. He entered Victoria College at the University of Toronto in 1914, where he lived in residence in Gate House and shared a room with his brother Duke. While at the university he became a noted athlete, excelling at both ice hockey and rugby. His studies were interrupted, however, when in 1916 he decided to enlist in the Canadian air force and fight in the First World War. After the war, he returned to school, receiving his B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1919. He went on to Oxford University, where he received a B.A. in modern history in 1923 and an M.A. in 1925. In 1925 he also married Maryon Moody (1902-1991), with whom he had one daughter and one son.
Early careerAfter Oxford he returned to Canada and taught history at the University of Toronto before embarking on a career in the Department of External Affairs. In 1948 he was made foreign minister in the government of Liberal Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, running for a seat in the House of Commons shortly afterward. In 1957, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in defusing the Suez Crisis through the United Nations. The United Nations Peacekeeping Force was Pearson's creation and he is considered the father of the modern concept of peacekeeping. Party leadershipHe was elected leader of the party at the 1958 Liberal leadership convention, but his party was badly routed in the election of that year. In the 1962 Canadian election, his party reduced the Progressive Conservatives of John George Diefenbaker to a minority government. Prime ministerPearson became Prime Minister as a result of the 1963 general election as leader of a minority government. He had campaigned during the election promising "60 Days of Decision" as well as support for the Bomarc missile program. Pearson never had a majority in the Canadian House of Commons, but he introduced important social programs (including universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, and Canada Student Loans), the maple leaf flag, and new initiatives in French-English relations. He also oversaw Canada's 1967 centennial celebrations before retiring. The Canadian news agency, Canadian Press, named him Newsmaker of the Year in 1967, citing his leadership during the centennial celebrations. While in office, Pearson resisted American pressure to enter the Vietnam war. Pearson spoke at Temple University in Philadelphia on April 2, 1965 while visiting the United States and voiced his support for a negotiated settlement to the Vietnam War. When he visited U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson hours later, Johnson strongly berated Pearson. According to Canadian folklore, Johnson grabbed Pearson by the lapels, shook him, and shouted "You p*ss*d on my rug!" Pearson later recounted that the meeting was acrimonious, but insisted the two parted cordially. After this incident, LBJ and Pearson did have two further meetings together, both times in Canada, before Pearson left office. The Pearson Cabinet contained many young men who would go on to become prominent figures in the Liberal Party. In particular, cabinet ministers Pierre Trudeau, John Turner, and Jean Chrétien all of whom would serve as Prime Minister in the years following Pearson's retirement. His administration instituted the modern welfare state. Many changes in Canada instituted at this time were at least in part a response to the pressures of a minority government, particularly to win support in the House of Commons from the New Democratic Party, led by Tommy Douglas. RetirementAfter retiring from politics, Pearson became a professor of international relations at Carleton University in Ottawa. In 1968 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. Pearson died of cancer in Ottawa on December 27, 1972, and was buried in the nearby Gatineau Hills in the MacLaren Cemetery, Wakefield, Quebec. In 1984 his successor, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, renamed the busiest airport in the country, Toronto International Airport to Lester B. Pearson International Airport in his honour. Pearson's name has been retained in the airport's new name, Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). Honours and awardsPearson is also honored by a United World College, the Lester B. Pearson College in Victoria, British Columbia, the Lester B. Pearson School Board in Montreal, and the National Hockey League's Lester B. Pearson Award to the most valuable player as judged by his peers. His favourite sport was baseball and the Pearson Cup, named after him, was awarded to the winner of an annual contest between the former Montreal Expos and the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadian news agency, Canadian Press (CP), bestowed Lester Pearson the honour of Newsmaker of the Year 9 times. He held the record of more Newsmaker of the Year honours until Pierre Trudeau broke it in 2000. In 2004, he was voted #6 of the "Greatest Canadians" on a CBC program. The Lester B. Pearson Building is the headquarters for Foreign Affairs Canada, a tribute to his service as foreign minister. Also seeExternal links
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