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Leolyn Dana WilgressCanadian diplomat
Date of Birth: 20.10.1892
Country:  Canada |
Content:
- Laurence Dana Wilgress: A Distinguished Canadian Diplomat
- Diplomatic Career
- Service in Europe and the Ottawa Conference
- Ambassadorship to the Soviet Union and Europe
- Senior Positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs
- Later Life and Recognition
- Personal Life
Laurence Dana Wilgress: A Distinguished Canadian Diplomat
Early Life and EducationLaurence Dana Wilgress was born on October 20, 1892, in Vancouver, Canada, to Henry T. and Helen M. Wilgress (née Empy). He received his education in Vancouver and Yokohama, and later attended Victoria College in Alexandria, Egypt, and McGill University in Montreal.
Diplomatic Career
Beginnings and Canada's Intervention in RussiaWilgress embarked on his diplomatic career in 1914 as a Junior Trade Commissioner. In 1916, he was appointed Canadian Trade Commissioner in Omsk, Russia, and in 1918, he held a similar position in Vladivostok. During his tenure, Canada participated in the foreign intervention in Russia.
Service in Europe and the Ottawa Conference
In early 1922, Wilgress was assigned as Trade Commissioner in Hamburg, Germany, a post he held until 1932. He subsequently became Director of the Canadian Trade Intelligence Service. Wilgress played a significant role in the Ottawa Imperial Conference (1932) and the World Economic Conference in London (1933), and participated in the negotiations for a trade agreement between Canada and the United States (1936-1938).
Ambassadorship to the Soviet Union and Europe
In 1942, Wilgress was appointed the first Canadian Minister to the USSR. When the Canadian mission was elevated to an embassy in 1944, he became Canada's Ambassador to the USSR, serving until 1946. He went on to serve as Canadian Ambassador to Switzerland (1947-1948), Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations in Geneva (1948-1949), and High Commissioner of Canada in the United Kingdom (1949-1952).
Senior Positions in the Department of Foreign Affairs
From 1952 to 1953, Wilgress held the position of Deputy Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs under Lester Pearson. He then served as Canada's Permanent Representative to NATO and the OEEC (1953-1958).
Later Life and Recognition
Laurence Dana Wilgress passed away on July 21, 1969, in Ottawa and was laid to rest at the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. He received honorary degrees from the University of British Columbia (1953) and was made a Companion of the Order of Canada (1967).
Personal Life
On June 4, 1919, Laurence Dana Wilgress married Olga Burgin, the daughter of Rudolf Burgin, a merchant of Swiss origin from Vladivostok. They had three children.
