Georges-Philéas Vanier

ARTICLE CONTENTS:  |  Suggested Reading  |  Links to Other Sites

Vanier, Georges-Philéas
Georges-Philéas Vanier, governor general 1959-67 (b at Montréal 23 Apr 1888; d at Ottawa 5 Mar 1967). Educated at Loyola and Laval, he was called to the Québec Bar in 1911. He enlisted in 1915 and after winning the Military Cross and DSO he became a founding officer of the Royal 22e Regiment, of which he later became commanding officer (1926-28). After WWI he entered the diplomatic service and represented Canada at the LEAGUE OF NATIONS, in London, and at many international conferences. In 1939 he became Canadian minister to France, and in 1943 minister to all allied governments in exile in London. He returned to France in 1944 as ambassador and served there with great distinction until his retirement in 1953.

Maj-Gen Vanier was installed as GOVERNOR GENERAL on 15 September 1959. His years in office were turbulent ones because of a difficult economic situation, a succession of MINORITY GOVERNMENTS, and the rise of violence and SEPARATISM in Québec. But he won the affection and admiration of Canadians by his concern, manifested in his inspiring public addresses and wide travels across the country, for the poor and the humble, for youth and for the family. A tall, impressive man who moved with great dignity and composure, he was profoundly religious and brought a spiritual and moral dimension to his office. His wife Pauline (née Archer) won equal respect and contributed much to the success of his term.

Author JACQUES MONET, S.J.


Suggested Reading
Deborah and George Cowley, One Woman's Journey: A Portrait of Pauline Vanier (1992); R. Speaight, Vanier: Soldier, Diplomat, and Governor General (1970).


Links to Other Sites
Governor General of Canada
The official website for the Governor General of Canada features biographies of current and former Governors General, a summary of official duties, and more.

0
0
Absolutely free, with over 40,000 articles in French and English, The Canadian Encyclopedia is the ultimate online resource for all things Canadian, from history, sports, arts, science, technology, and much, much more. Get started at www.TheCanadianEncyclopedia.com
Feature Articles
Elections of 1979 and 1980

Calling elections is like Goldilocks visiting the three bears – which political stew will turn out to be too soon, too late, or just right...?

INSIDE TCE

Gallery
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Interactive Resources
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
Canucklehead
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
Timeline
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
100 Greatest Events
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.