Léo Richer Laflèche
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Léo Richer La Flèche PC DSO |
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| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Outremont |
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In office 1942–1945 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas Vien |
| Succeeded by | Édouard Rinfret |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 16, 1888 Concordia, Kansas, United States |
| Died | March 7, 1956 (aged 67) Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Jane Richer La Flèche (Jane Brady) |
| Children | Denyse, François, Jean, Paul, Pierre |
| Occupation | Major General, Civil Servant, Diplomat, Politician |
| Cabinet | Minister of National War Services (1942-1945) |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Major general |
| Unit | 22nd Battalion, CEF |
Léo Richer La Flèche, PC DSO (April 16, 1888 – March 7, 1956) was a Canadian general, civil servant, diplomat, and politician.
Léo Richer La Flèche was born in Concordia, Kansas, on April 16, 1888. The same year, with his parents, Léo moved to Sorel, Quebec, because of his father's work in Ottawa as a civil servant. Leo managed the Molson Bank in Ville St-Pierre until the outbreak of the First World War. He served with the Royal 22nd Battalion, CEF, during World War I, as an infantry officer, where he was severely wounded. In one instance, on June 17, 1916, a soldier in Léo's battalion noticed him lying in a field, left for dead. The soldier and four of his comrades transported the dying Léo on a stretcher as they crossed a battlefield under German artillery fire. The General in charge spotted the heroic act and as a result, the five soldiers were each awarded a Military Medal. In 1917, Léo was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Légion d'honneur of France for his service. He later became a lieutenant-colonel commanding the District Depot No. 4, Montreal which consisted of roughly 70,000 men. He would achieve the rank of major general. He co-founded the Canadian Legion in 1925 and became dominion president of the Canadian Legion in 1929. From 1932 to 1939, he was Deputy Minister of National Defence, Vice-Chairman Defence Council and briefly served as military attaché to Paris before the German invasion.
From 1940 to 1942, he was the associate deputy minister of War Services and was chairman of the National Film Board from 1941 to 1943. In 1941, he received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Ottawa.
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