Lester Pearson Prime Minister of Canada 1963-68, leader of the Liberal Party 1958-68. In 1948-57 Minister of Foreign Affairs. Nobel Peace Prize (1957). Date of Birth: 23.04.1897 Country: Canada

Biography of Lester Pearson

Lester Bowles Pearson was a Canadian statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He was born in Toronto, Ontario, to a Methodist minister, E.A. Pearson, and Anne Sarah Bowles. Pearson showed exceptional academic abilities and at the age of 16, he enrolled in Victoria College at the University of Toronto. However, in 1915, he interrupted his studies and joined the Canadian army, serving in Europe during World War I. He served in Egypt and then on the Balkans, eventually becoming a lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. Although he survived a plane crash during a training flight, he was later hit by a bus in London during blackout, and in April 1918, he was sent home by sea. It was during this time that Pearson acquired the nickname "Mike."

Upon returning to Canada, Pearson finally earned his bachelor's degree and in 1919, he enrolled in Osgoode Hall Law School. However, he quickly realized that he had no interest in pursuing a career in law and left the program. Pearson worked in Hamilton and Chicago for a while, but his job did not satisfy him. With a scholarship from the Massey Foundation, Pearson entered St. John's College at Oxford University. He considered the next two years to be the happiest in his life, studying history and gaining fame as a hockey player. After returning to Canada as a master's graduate, Pearson began lecturing on modern history at the University of Toronto. In 1925, he married one of his students, Maryon Elspeth Moody, and they had a son and a daughter. In 1928, Pearson became an assistant professor and the same year, he joined the Canadian Department of External Affairs. Soon, Prime Minister Richard Bedford Bennett took notice of him and included him in the Canadian delegation to the 1930 Imperial Conference. Pearson also participated in the work of the World Disarmament Conference in Geneva in 1933 and 1934. In 1935, Pearson was appointed to the High Commissioner for Canada's office in London, where he participated in the London Naval Conference.

After spending six years in London, Pearson returned to Ottawa in May 1941 and became the Assistant Undersecretary of State for External Affairs. A year later, he was appointed as an advisor to the Canadian Embassy in Washington. From 1944 to 1946, Pearson served as Canada's Ambassador to the United States. While in Washington, Pearson played a significant role in the establishment of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. In 1944, he attended the conference in Dumbarton Oaks, which laid the foundations for the United Nations. In 1945, at the San Francisco Conference, which adopted the UN Charter, Pearson unsuccessfully protested against granting veto power to the five permanent members of the Security Council. Serving as the Deputy Secretary of External Affairs, Pearson represented Canada at the 1947 conference that decided on the creation of the state of Israel. A year later, the Liberal Party offered Pearson the position of Secretary of External Affairs, and he had to immerse himself in the election campaign. In October 1948, he won a seat in the House of Commons, which he held for nine years. As Secretary of External Affairs, Pearson prepared a speech for Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent proposing the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). After signing the NATO treaty in 1949, Pearson led the Canadian delegation to NATO until 1957. He also served as Chairman of the NATO Council in 1951 and 1952.

Between 1946 and 1952, Pearson headed the Canadian delegation to the United Nations and was an excellent mediator during crises. In 1950, he was part of the "Three Wise Men" commission that developed proposals for an armistice in the Korean War. The ceasefire, signed two years later, closely followed the commission's recommendations. Pearson was elected President of the 7th session of the UN General Assembly. In 1956, he acted as a mediator when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, causing concern among Israel, England, and France. In response, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. Two days later, France and England sent fleets and landing forces to restore the canal's status. With the support of the Soviet Union, the United States introduced a resolution to the Security Council calling for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of all troops from Egypt. After Britain and France vetoed the resolution, it was considered and accepted by the General Assembly in a slightly modified form. Believing that this would not be enough to end the conflict, Pearson proposed the creation of UN peacekeeping forces. With the acceptance of this proposal, British and French forces were replaced by UN-commanded forces, which allowed for the cessation of hostilities.

For his role in resolving the Suez Crisis, Pearson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957. Gunner Jahn, the representative of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, described Pearson as a man who "did more than anyone else to save the world" during the tense moments of 1956. Jahn also highly praised Pearson's idea of UN peacekeeping forces. In accepting the Nobel Prize, Pearson spoke about the "four faces of peace – prosperity, power, politics, and people." He called for the expansion of economic cooperation, which he believed could eliminate the economic causes of war, and condemned the use of force, stating that "there is no effective defense against missile weapons." Pearson emphasized the importance of using any opportunity for negotiations to avoid the risk of war. He asked, "Is peace possible if people do not understand each other? Only in a climate of political freedom, mutual tolerance, and compromise can issues of peace be resolved."

Although Pearson's role in resolving the Suez Crisis earned international recognition, some Canadians blamed him for preventing Britain from regaining control of the canal. With the defeat of the Liberals in the 1957 election, Pearson lost his ministerial position. As the leader of the party, Pearson led the parliamentary opposition to Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's Conservative government. In 1963, the Liberals defeated the Conservatives, and Pearson became the Prime Minister. During his five years in office, he strengthened social legislation and laid the foundation for what he called the "just society." However, his administration was greatly damaged by minor scandals related to corruption. In 1968, Pearson retired and became the head of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development commission. He left a legacy for the Liberal Party, urging them to pay closer attention to the demands of French-speaking Canadians. Pearson passed away from cancer in Ottawa in 1972.