Lester B. Pearson

Lester Bowles Pearson taught history at the University of Toronto before joining External Affairs in 1928. Wartime service in London was followed by Washington, where he became minister-counsellor in 1942 and ambassador in 1945. He chaired the interim commission that helped establish the Food and Agriculture Organization and a supplies committee of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. ¹

After returning to Ottawa, Pearson became under-secretary and then secretary of state for external affairs. He helped develop NATO and, during the 1956 Suez crisis, secured support for a United Nations emergency force to separate the combatants. That initiative earned him the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize. ^{1, 2}

As prime minister from 1963 to 1968, Pearson promoted bilingualism, adopted a new national flag, and introduced major social programs, including medicare and the Canada Pension Plan. He subsequently worked on international development. ^{3, 1}