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Lester B. Pearson was born in Ontario,
the son of a Methodist minister, in a
home which "was rich in everything but
money". He was keenly interested in
sports, playing both baseball and
football, and he remained a sports fan.
His nickname "Mike" goes back to the
First World War. He had presented
himself to a senior officer of the Royal
Flying Corps. "Lester - that's not a
very belligerent name for a man who
wants to be a fighter pilot", the
officer said. "We'll call you Mike". The
name remained with him after that.
"one who has made a distinguished
contribution to peace throughout the
world". Lester B. Pearson was paid this
tribute when he was awarded the Nobel
Peace prize in 1957. The struggle
on the Egyptian boarder had threatened
to break into another world war. As
Canada's Minister for External Affairs,
he proposed the formation of an
emergency peace force - a corps that
could stand guard in the boarder between
Egypt and Israel. It was the first time
in history that a truly international
military force had been organized for
peacekeeping. It set the pattern for
other peace forces of the United
Nations, in other troubled, threatened
areas of the world.
Thirty-six days after receiving the
Nobel Peace Prize (the first Canadian to
be so honoured), Pearson was elected
leader of the Liberal Party. He was
elected Prime Minister in 1963.
As Prime Minister, he gained the highest
political office in the country without
really having sought it. "When I look
back on my career," he has said, " the
most amazing thing is that things just
happened." Among the notable
achievements of his administration has
been the adoption f the Maple Leaf Flag. |
