1946 United Nations Secretary-General selection

1946 United Nations Secretary-General selection
20 January 1946 – 29 January 1946 1950 →
 
Candidate Trygve Lie Lester B. Pearson
Country  Norway  Canada
Vote
11 / 11
 		No formal vote
Vetoes None Soviet Union
Round 29 January 1946 29 January 1946
Elected UN Secretary-General

Trygve Lie

The United Nations Secretary-General selection of 1946 took place at the opening session of the United Nations in London. The General Assembly first voted on the membership of the Security Council, which then selected the first Secretary-General of the United Nations. The United States and the United Kingdom supported Lester B. Pearson of Canada for Secretary-General, but the Soviet Union opposed Pearson since the permanent headquarters of the United Nations would be in North America. The Security Council compromised on Trygve Lie of Norway, who had lost the election for President of the General Assembly to Paul-Henri Spaak of Belgium.