|
Vere Brabazon Ponsonby, 9th Earl of Bessborough, governor general of Canada 1931-35 (b at London, Eng 27 Oct 1880; d at Stansted, Eng 10 Mar 1956). He was the only prominent British businessman ever to be governor general, and as such something of a surprise appointment. Born into the Irish peerage and trained as a lawyer, he was a staff officer in WWI, and an MP in 1910 and again 1913-20, when he went to the House of Lords. In the 1920s he headed the Sao Paulo Railway and the Margarine Union and was deputy chairman of De Beers.
He and his French wife were enthusiastic amateur actors, having built a theatre at their Sussex home. In Canada they inaugurated the DOMINION DRAMA FESTIVAL. The handsome, rich, well-fed and impeccably dressed aristocrat must have been an incongruous sight at the height of the Great Depression, but he showed his sympathy with the plight of Canadians in small ways, and was granted his wish for a 10% cut in salary.
Author
NORMAN HILLMER
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, a history of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, and an overview of various honours and awards, such as the Order of Canada.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| Time waits for no man… and neither do trains... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| The Group of Seven was founded in 1920 as an organization of self-proclaimed modern artists. The original members - ... |
|
|
| Sir John Alexander Macdonald, lawyer, businessman, politician, first prime minister of Canada (b at Brunswick Place, ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Créditistes, Québec party involved in federal politics. For nearly 2 decades before its 1958 formation ... |
|
|
| Julia Verlyn LaMarsh, "Judy," lawyer, politician, broadcaster, novelist (b at Chatham, Ont 20 Dec 1924; d at ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
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.
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.
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.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| André Turp. Tenor, b Montreal 21 Dec 1925, d there 25 Feb 1991. He took voice lessons from Édouard Woolley and Frank H. Rowe and then worked at the CMM with Ruzena Herlinger. He was awarded a Quebec government grant ... |
|
|