Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Pearson, Lester Bowles
Parallel form(s) of name
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Other form(s) of name
- Pearson, Lester B.
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Description area
Dates of existence
1897–1972
History
Lester Bowles Pearson was born in Newtonbrook (now part of Toronto), the son of Edwin Arthur Pearson and Anne Sarah Bowles. He graduated from Hamilton Collegiate Institute in 1913, then, at age sixteen, went on to Victoria University that year. At Victoria he lived in residence, and participated in sports such as basketball and rugby. During World War I Pearson served as a Medical Orderly overseas. He completed his B.A. at Victoria in 1919, then returned as a Lecturer in History in 1923; during this period he married Maryon (née Moody). Lester Pearson went on to a distinguished career, first as a diplomat, and then as a politician. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for his achievements during the Suez Crisis, and went on to become leader of the federal Liberal Party in 1958, then Prime Minister in 1963. He maintained his affiliation with Victoria University, serving as Chancellor from 1952 to 1959. In 2000, the Lester B. Pearson Peace Garden was established on campus.
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Maintained by
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Victoria University Archives