Sir Herbert Marler

Herbert Meredith Marler made his career as a Montreal notary and businessman before entering Parliament in 1921. He briefly served as a minister without portfolio in 1925. Appointed Canada's first minister to Japan in 1929, he pursued commercial opportunities during the Depression and helped finance the construction of Canada's legation in Tokyo. He accepted Japan's seizure of Manchuria in 1931. ¹

Marler moved to Washington in 1936. His position was constrained by Prime Minister Mackenzie King's direct relationship with Franklin Roosevelt and by uneasy relations with his own senior officials. In 1937 King specifically instructed him to leave bilateral trade negotiations alone. Marler helped prepare for the royal visit of 1939, but serious illness curtailed his work. His wife submitted his resignation in September 1939, and he died the following January. ¹