Profession: 13th Prime Minister of Canada
Biography: The 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 1957 to April 1963. He led the Tories to their first electoral victory in 27 years. He appointed the first female minister in Canadian history to his Cabinet, as well as the first aboriginal member of the Senate.
During his six years as Prime Minister, his government obtained passage of the Canadian Bill of Rights and granted the vote to the First Nations and Inuit peoples.
He is remembered for his role in the cancellation of the Avro Arrow project, and his indecision on whether to accept Bomarc nuclear missiles from the United States led to his government's downfall.
Born: September 18, 1895
Birthplace: Neustadt, Ontario, Canada
Generation: Lost Generation
Star Sign: Virgo
Married Life
- 1953-12-08 Prime Minister of Canada John Diefenbaker (58) weds second wife Olive Palmer (51) at Park Road Baptist Church in Toronto, Canada
Historical Events
- 1957-06-10 John Diefenbaker (C) elected Prime Minister of Canada
- 1957-06-21 John Diefenbaker (C) takes office as Prime Minister of Canada
- 1959-02-20 Canada's program to design and manufacture the supersonic jet fighter the Avro Arrow is cancelled by the Diefenbaker government amid much political debate
- 1959-06-03 US President Eisenhower routes Canadian Prime Minister Diefenbaker a message off the Moon
Biographies and Sources
- The Avro Arrow is Cancelled - Canadian Museum of History
Brian Mulroney
John A. Macdonald
John Thompson
Louis St. Laurent
Richard Bedford Bennett
Robert Borden