Rt. Hon. John G. Diefenbaker

1979

1979 Memorial

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: 1895.09.18 - Neustadt, Ontario, Canada.

DATE AND PLACE OF DEATH: 1979.08.16 - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

OCCUPATION: Lawyer; World War I Veteran.

POLITICAL PARTY:
Progressive Conservative: 1942 - 1979.
Conservative: 1925 - 1942.

PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA:
Served: 21 June 1957 - 21 April 1963.

HOUSE OF COMMONS:
1979.05.22 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1974.07.08 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1972.10.30 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1968.06.25 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1965.11.08 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1963.04.08 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1962.06.18 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1958.03.31 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1957.06.10 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1953.08.10 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1949.06.27 - Lake Centre, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1945.06.11 - Lake Centre, Saskatchewan - Re-Elected.
1940.03.26 - Lake Centre, Saskatchewan - Elected.
1926.09.14 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Defeated.
1925.10.29 - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - Defeated.

Leader of the Official Opposition.(1956.12.14 - 1957.06.20 and 1963.04.22 - 1967.09.08).

SENIOR GOVERNMENT:
President of the Privy Council (1962.12.21 - 1963.04.21).
Secretary of State for External Affairs (1957.06.21 - 1957.09.12 and 1959.03.19 - 1959.06.03).

SASKATCHEWAN PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE:
1938 - Defeated.
1934 - Defeated.

WAKAW (SK) TOWN COUNCIL:
1923 - Defeated.
1920 - Elected.

PARTY LEADERSHIP:
Leader of the Saskatchewan Conservative Party (1936 - 1938). The party won 11.9% of the total vote and no seats in the 1938 elections (no change in seats from the 1934 elections, but a decline in the overall vote).

Candidate for Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, December 1942. First ballot: 3rd place (out of 5 candidates) with 120 votes - 13.8%. Second ballot: 3rd place with 79 votes (9%). Manitoba Premier John Bracken was elected Leader on the second ballot with 62%.

Candidate for Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, October 1948. First ballot: 2nd place (out of 3 candidates) with 311 votes - 25%. Ontario Premier George Drew was elected Leader on the first ballot with 67%.

Candidate for Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, December 1956. Elected Leader on the first ballot over two other candidates with 774 votes (60%).

Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (1956.12.14 - 1967.09.08). The PC won 111 seats in the 1957 elections, a gain of 60 seats and a capturing a minority government victory. The PC won 208 seats in the 1958 elections, a gain of 97 seats and won majority government status. The PC's 1958 win was the largest ever majority government in Canadian history. In the 1962 elections, the PC won 116 seats (a loss of 92 seats) and were reduced again to minority government status. The PC won 93 seats in the 1963 elections, a loss of 23 seats, which reduced the PC to official opposition party status. In the 1965 elections, the PC won 97 seats (a gain of four), but remained the official opposition party.

Candidate for Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, September 1967. First ballot: 5th place (out of 11 candidates) with 271 votes - 12.1%. Second ballot: 5th place with 172 votes (7.8%). Third ballot: 5th place with 114 votes (5.2%). Diefenbaker withdrew after the third ballot. Nova Scotia Premier Bob Stanfield was elected Leader on the fifth ballot with 54%.

MISCELLANEOUS:
Canada's Delegate to the United Nations, 1952. Chancellor, University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, 1969-79. Nicknames: The Chief, Dief the Chief, The Leader, and JGD.

WEBSITE: CBC Archives: Dief the Chief