The Speakers of the Senate of Canada

Hon. George Stanley White
P.C., Q.C. (1962–1963)

W hen the First World War broke out in 1914, George White postponed setting up his law practice and enlisted in the 44^th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. He served overseas, and was awarded the Military Medal for bravery. White was part of the Canadian delegation to Belgium and France for the 50^th anniversary of the 1918 armistice, and is reported to have said that “Canada could be the best and most united country in the world if Canadians had just a little of ‘that fraternal feeling’ soldiers had in the First World War.”

White began his more than 32 years of nearly continuous parliamentary service in 1940, when he ran successfully for the House of Commons under the Conservative Party’s temporary new name of the National Government Party. Re-elected four more times as a Progressive Conservative, he and other members of the House of Commons championed the Veterans Charter of 1945 for the reintegration into civilian life of members of the Army, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force.

In 1957, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker appointed the President of the University of Toronto, Sidney Smith, to his Cabinet as Secretary of State for External Affairs. White resigned his seat to allow Smith to run for the House of Commons in a by-election, and the Prime Minister nominated White for appointment to the Senate. A year later White became Government Whip in the Senate.

Diefenbaker appointed White as Speaker of the Senate in September 1962, but his tenure ended seven months later when the government lost the 1963 general election. Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson later appointed White to the Privy Council.

White was Prime Minister John Diefenbaker’s first appointment to the Senate.

Next Speaker:Hon. Maurice Bourget

Previous Speaker: Hon. Mark Robert Drouin

© Library of Parliament  |  Revised: 2011-12

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