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.

Retirement

After his announcement on December 14, 1967, that he was retiring from politics, a leadership convention was held. There, Pearson announced that the new leader chosen by the Liberal party was Pierre Trudeau, a man who Pearson had recruited and made Minister of Justice in his cabinet. He later became Prime Minister, and two other cabinet ministers Pearson recruited, John Turner and Jean Chrétien, served as prime minister in the years following his retirement. Another cabinet minister Pearson recruited, Paul Martin Sr., is the father of the current prime minister, Paul Martin.

Related Topics:
December 14 - 1967 - Leadership convention - Pierre Trudeau - Minister of Justice - Cabinet - John Turner - Jean Chrétien - Paul Martin Sr. - Paul Martin

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Pearson later became a professor of international relations at Carleton University in Ottawa, as well as the school's chancellor. In 1968, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. In 1971, he was awarded the Order of Merit by Queen Elizabeth II.

Related Topics:
Carleton University - Chancellor - Order of Canada - Order of Merit - Queen Elizabeth II

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Pearson died of cancer in Ottawa on December 27, 1972, and was buried in the nearby Gatineau Hills in the MacLaren Cemetery, Wakefield, Quebec.

Related Topics:
Cancer - Ottawa - December 27 - 1972 - Wakefield, Quebec

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