Jules Léger | |
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| 21st Governor General of Canada | |
| In office January 14, 1974 – January 22, 1979 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | Pierre Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Roland Michener |
| Succeeded by | Edward Schreyer |
| More... | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1913-04-04)April 4, 1913 Saint-Anicet, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | November 22, 1980(1980-11-22) (aged 67) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Spouse | Gabrielle Léger |
| Profession | Diplomat |
Joseph Jules Léger (April 4, 1913 – November 22, 1980) was a Canadian diplomat and statesman who served as the 21stgovernor general of Canada from 1974 to 1979.
Léger was born inQuebec and educated in Quebec andFrance prior to starting a career in theCanadian Department of External Affairs, and eventually served asambassador to a number of countries. He was in 1973 appointed as governor general byQueenElizabeth II, on the recommendation ofPrime Minister of CanadaPierre Trudeau, to replaceRoland Michener asviceroy, and he occupied the post until succeeded byEdward Schreyer in 1979. As the Queen's representative, Léger was credited for modernising the office and fostering Canadian unity.
On June 1, 1979, Léger was sworn into theQueen's Privy Council for Canada,[1] giving him the accordant style ofThe Honourable. However, as a former Governor General of Canada, Léger was entitled to be styled for life with the superior form ofThe Right Honourable. He died on November 22, 1980.
Born inSaint-Anicet,Quebec, to Ernest and Alda (née Beauvais), Léger, along with his brother (and futurecardinal),Paul-Émile, was raised in a devoutly religious family.[citation needed] After completing high school, Léger went on to theCollège de Valleyfield and then theUniversité de Montréal, where he completed alaw degree. Léger subsequently enrolled at theSorbonne inParis, from which he was awarded a doctorate in 1938[citation needed], the same year that, on August 13, he marriedGabrielle Carmel, whom he had met at the University of Paris[citation needed]. The couple together had two daughters, Francine and Helene.
When Léger returned to Canada at the end of 1938, he was hired as an associate editor ofLe Droit inOttawa, but remained there for only one year before he went on to become a professor of diplomatic history at theUniversity of Ottawa until 1942. Simultaneously, Léger joined in 1940 theDepartment of External Affairs, and in just over 13 years received his first overseas diplomatic posting asCanada's ambassador to Mexico. After his retirement from that office on August 1, 1954,[2] he returned to Ottawa to act as under-secretary of state for external affairs, until, on September 25, 1958, he was commissioned as ambassador and permanent representative to theNorth Atlantic Council, occupying that post until 5 July 1962,[3] as well as the Canadian representative to theOrganisation for European Economic Cooperation in Paris. Then, from 1962 to 1964, Léger held the commission of ambassador toItaly,[4] and, from 1964 to 1968 was theambassador to France.[5] It was during this time, in July 1967, thatFrench presidentCharles de Gaulle visited Canada to attendExpo 67, and inMontreal gave hisVive le Québec libre speech. This event caused a diplomatic chill for many years between Canada and France; however, Léger attracted admiration for his subsequent sensitive handling of de Gaulle's policy towards Quebec.[6]
By 1968, Léger had returned to Canada's capital and was appointed as under-secretary of state, providing the administrative basis for Prime MinisterLester B. Pearson's foreign policy, and the policies onbilingualism andmulticulturalism developed by the Cabinet chaired by Pearson's successor,Pierre Trudeau.[6] Léger left that position in 1972, and briefly served as ambassador toBelgium andLuxembourg between March 1973 and January 1974.[7][8]His daughter Francine died by suicide at the Canadian Embassy in 1968.
It was on October 5, 1973 thatQueenElizabeth II had, by commission under theroyal sign-manual andGreat Seal of Canada, appointed Pierre Trudeau's choice of Léger to succeedRoland Michener as the Queen's representative. He was subsequently sworn-in during a ceremony in theSenate chamber on January 14, of the following year.[9]
Only six months later, just prior to a ceremony wherein he was to receive anhonorary degree from theUniversité de Sherbrooke, Léger suffered astroke, leaving him with impeded speech and aparalysed right arm. Though he returned to his viceregal duties not long after, presiding over anOrder of Canada investiture in December 1974, his wife assisted him on many occasions, even reading parts of theSpeech from the Throne in 1976 and 1978. Still, the Légers travelled across the country, encouraging Canadian unity at a time fraught withQuebec sovereignty disputes and perceived alienation by other regions,[10] as well promoting the fine arts and artistic endeavours, aided at such by their friendships with painters such asJean Paul Lemieux,Alfred Pellan, andJean Dallaire.[10] In 1978 Léger established theJules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music. He also established an award for heritage conservation and the Jules Léger Scholarship to promote academic excellence inbilingual programs at theUniversity of Regina.Léger was credited with greatly modernising the Office of the Governor General, having, among other things, eschewed the traditional court dress of theWindsor uniform in favour ofmorning dress at state functions, though he was also negatively criticised for the same, as well as for asking thatdecorations, particularly those from theSecond World War, not be worn at certain state events.[11] He was further critiqued for remaining in such an important office despite his incapacitation.[11] Still, he remained focused on the person and institution he represented, and was known to write to the Queen on a monthly basis.[12] His official portrait was a first for including theviceregal consort, done to recognise Gabrielle's contributions to her husband's service.[10]
After leaving Rideau Hall, the Légers continued to live in Ottawa. Léger died on November 22, 1980, and was survived by his wife and daughter.
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June 19, 1973 – January 14, 1974:Companion of the Order of Canada (CC)[13] January 14, 1974 – January 22, 1979:Chancellor and Commander of the Order of Military Merit (CMM)[14] January 14, 1974 – January 22, 1979:Knight of Justice, Prior, and Chief Officer in Canada of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (KStJ)[15] January 14, 1974 – January 22, 1979:Chief Scout of Canada 1974 – November 22, 1980:Honorary Member of the Royal Military College of Canada Club June 1, 1979 – November 22, 1980:Member of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada (PC) January 14, 1974:Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD) 1977:Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal
January 14, 1974 – January 22, 1979: Colonel of theGovernor General's Horse Guards January 14, 1974 – January 22, 1979: Colonel of theGovernor General's Foot Guards January 14, 1974 – January 22, 1979: Colonel of theCanadian Grenadier Guards |
31 March 1974:University of British Columbia,Doctor of Laws (LLD)[16][full citation needed]
8 June 1974:Université de Sherbrooke,Doctor of the University (DUniv)[17][full citation needed]
7 February 1976:Royal Military College of Canada, Doctor of Laws (LLD)[18]:University of Ottawa, Doctor of Laws (LLD) Canada:Jules and Gabrielle Léger Fellowship
Saskatchewan:Jules Léger Scholarship,University of Regina,Regina |
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{{cite book}}:|periodical= ignored (help) Contribution: The Queen's Other Realms: The Crown and its Legacy in Australia, Canada and New Zealand (ISBN 978-1-86287-700-9)| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Governor General of Canada 1974–1979 | Succeeded by |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by | Canadian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary toBelgium andLuxembourg March 1, 1973 – January 8, 1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Canadian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to France February 20, 1964 – October 31, 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Canadian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary toItaly 28 May 1962 – April 17, 1964 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Canadian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Council September 25, 1958 – July 5, 1962 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Canadian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Mexico October 14, 1953 – July 8, 1954 | Succeeded by |
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