Roland Michener

Roland Michener
Michener in 1972
20th Governor General of Canada
In office
April 17, 1967 – January 14, 1974
MonarchElizabeth II
Prime MinisterLester B. Pearson
Pierre Trudeau
Preceded byGeorges Vanier
Succeeded byJules Léger
24th Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada
In office
October 14, 1957 – September 26, 1962
MonarchElizabeth II
Governors GeneralVincent Massey
Georges Vanier
Prime MinisterJohn Diefenbaker
Preceded byLouis-René Beaudoin
Succeeded byMarcel Lambert
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Personal details
Born
Daniel Roland Michener

(1900-04-19)April 19, 1900
Lacombe, Northwest Territories, Canada (now Lacombe, Alberta)
DiedAugust 6, 1991(1991-08-06) (aged 91)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
SpouseNorah Michener
Alma materUniversity of Alberta (BA)
Hertford College, Oxford (MA, BCL)
ProfessionLawyer, Politician, Diplomat
Signature
Military service
AllegianceCanada
BranchCanadian Army Cadets
Royal Air Force
Service years1916-19
RankCadet Half Company Commander
Private 2nd Class
UnitRed Deer Cadet Battalion (1916-17)
Royal Air Force (1918-19)
WarsFirst World War

Daniel Roland Michener PC CC CMM OOnt CD QC FRHSC(hon) (April 19, 1900 – August 6, 1991) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and diplomat who served as the 20th governor general of Canada from 1967 to 1974.

Michener was born and educated in Alberta. In 1917 he served briefly in the Royal Air Force.[1] He acquired a university degree, then attended the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Michener then returned to Canada and practised law before entering politics. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1953, where he served as speaker from 1957 until 1962, and then served in diplomatic postings between 1964 and 1967. After that he was appointed governor general by Queen Elizabeth II on the recommendation of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, to replace Georges Vanier, and he occupied the post until succeeded by Jules Léger in 1974. Michener proved to be a populist governor general whose tenure is considered to be a key turning point in the history of his office.

On October 15, 1962, Michener was sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.[2] He then served on the boards of various corporations and charities and sat as Chancellor of Queen's University.

  1. ^ "The Michener Institute > About Michener > Biography of D. Roland Michener". The Michener Institute. 2007. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  2. ^ Privy Council Office (October 30, 2008). "Information Resources > Historical Alphabetical List since 1867 of Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada > M". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved March 11, 2009.