100 Alumni of Influence

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Rt. Hon. John G. Diefenbaker P.C., Q.C., BA’15, MA’16, LLB’19, DCL’58 (d. 1979)

John Diefenbaker was a lawyer, Member of Parliament, and Prime Minister of Canada from 1957-63. Educated in one-room country schools, he earned three degrees from the University of Saskatchewan. After service in WWI, he opened a law practice and contemplated entering politics. He was eventually elected to the House of Commons in 1940, and in 1956 became leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. In 1957, the Conservative Party under his leadership scored an electoral victory, ending 22 years of Liberal rule. The Diefenbaker government was responsible for introducing much of the legislation we now take for granted, including the Canadian Bill of Rights. He remained a sitting Member of Parliament until his death in 1979.