John George Diefenbaker
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The Right Honourable John Diefenbaker PC CH QC |
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|---|---|
 |
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| 13th Prime Minister of Canada | |
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In office June 21, 1957 – April 22, 1963 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General |
Vincent Massey Georges Vanier |
| Preceded by | Louis St. Laurent |
| Succeeded by | Lester Pearson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John George Diefenbaker September 18, 1895 Neustadt, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | August 16, 1979 (aged 83) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Cause of death | heart attack |
| Resting place | Outside the Diefenbaker Canada Centre, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouse(s) |
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| Children | none |
| Education | University of Saskatchewan (B.A., 1915; M.A., 1916) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | "Dief", "The Chief" |
| Allegiance |
 Canada
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| Service/branch | Canadian Army |
| Years of service | 1916–1917 |
| Rank |
-2014.svg){kind=small} Lieutenant
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| Unit | 196th Battalion |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
John George Diefenbaker, PC, CH, QC (/ˈdiːfənˌbeɪkər/; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957 to April 22, 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative (PC or Tory) party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an election victory, doing so three times, although only once with a majority of seats in the Canadian House of Commons.
Diefenbaker was born in southwestern Ontario in 1895. In 1903, his family migrated west to the portion of the North-West Territories which would shortly thereafter become the province of Saskatchewan. He grew up in the province, and was interested in politics from a young age. After brief service in World War I, Diefenbaker became a noted criminal defence lawyer. He contested elections through the 1920s and 1930s with little success until he was finally elected to the House of Commons in 1940.
Diefenbaker was repeatedly a candidate for the PC leadership. He gained that party position in 1956, on his third attempt. In 1957, he led the Tories to their first electoral victory in 27 years; a year later he called a snap election and spearheaded them to one of their greatest triumphs. Diefenbaker 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. In foreign policy, his stance against apartheid helped secure the departure of South Africa from the Commonwealth of Nations, but his indecision on whether to accept Bomarc nuclear missiles from the United States led to his government's downfall. Diefenbaker is also remembered for his role in the 1959 cancellation of the Avro Arrow project.
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