Lester B. Pearson

The Right Honourable Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson, PC, CC, OM, OBE (April 23, 1897 – December 27, 1972) was a Canadian statesman, diplomat and politician who was made a Nobel Laureate in 1957 and served as the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 22, 1963, to April 20, 1968.

Early life

He was born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of Toronto), the son of a Methodist preacher. He entered Victoria College at the University of Toronto in 1914, where he lived in residence in Gate House and shared a room with his brother Duke. While at the university, he became a noted athlete, excelling at both hockey and rugby. As he was too young to enlist in the army when World War I broke out in 1914, he instead volunteered for the medical corps, where he served two years in places such as Egypt and Greece. In 1916 he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps (as the Royal Canadian Air Force did not exist at that time), where he served until being sent home as a result of a bus accident in 1917. It was as a pilot that he received the nick-name of "Mike", given to him by a flight instructor who felt that "Lester" was too weak of a name for an airman.

Related Topics:
Newtonbrook, Ontario - Toronto - Methodist - Victoria College - University of Toronto - 1914 - Gate House - Hockey - Rugby - World War I - Egypt - Greece - 1916 - Royal Flying Corps - Royal Canadian Air Force - 1917 - Pilot

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After the war, he returned to school, receiving his BA from the University of Toronto in 1919. After receiving a scholarship, he studied at Oxford University, where he received a BA in modern history in 1923 and an MA in 1925. In 1925, he married Maryon Moody (1902-1991), with whom he had one daughter, Patricia, and one son, Geoffrey.

Related Topics:
BA - 1919 - Oxford University - History - 1923 - MA - 1925 - Maryon Moody - 1902 - 1991 - Geoffrey

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