Lester B. Pearson

Extraordinary Canadians

by Andrew Cohen

In his 2 terms as prime minister, from 1963–1968, Lester B. Pearson oversaw the revamping of Canada through the introduction of Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan, the Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, the Auto Pact, and the new Maple Leaf flag. Pearson came to power after an impressive career as a diplomat, where he played a vital role in the creation of NATO and the United Nations, later serving as president of its General Assembly. He put Canada on the world stage when he won the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize for his handling of the Suez Crisis, during which he brokered the formation of a UN peacekeeping force. Author Andrew Cohen, whose books have focused on Canada’s place in the world, is the perfect author to assess Pearson’s legacy.

Genres: Biography, Canada, History, Politics, Nonfiction

207 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2008

Reviews

[Fern Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, as I have this entire series. It was well written and very informative. For me it was a good reminder of many things that I actually lived through but had forgotten. LBP was a very Canadian Canadian. He had an excellent job offer at one point in NYC but wouldn't even consider it. He only wanted to work in and for Canada. He was also a very Canadian Canadian in his humility. Highly regarded by many, he won many awards during his professional life, the most notable likely being the Nobel Peace Prize for his dealing with the Suez Crisis. He promised his wife he would retire from politics at 70, and he did so, but sadly died from cancer only 3 years later.

[Carolyn Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short biography of Lester B. Pearson, who was Prime Minister of Canada at the time of the centennial of Confederation in 1967. Cohen observes that in contrast to other famous Canadian Prime Ministers such as John Diefenbaker, Pierre Trudeau and Brian Mulroney, Lester Pearson did not have a vision of himself as a "great man" destined to become Prime Minister but instead seized the career opportunities that came to him, reflecting, "I expected to spend at least the next quarter century teaching history...with forays into related activities.I knew that I would never become a cloistered scholar,but I did not know where one of these forays was to lead me."

In addition to discussing Pearson's life and accomplishments, the book also provides an overview of the development of Canadian nationhood over the course of the 20th century. Pearson had a sense of a Canadian identity distinct from Great Britain and the United States from a young age and his accomplishments as Prime Minister included the introduction of the current Canadian flag and the promotion of bilingualism. He received the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation of the Suez Crisis, the first example of Canada not joining Great Britain in war. I would have been interested to read more about Pearson's views of the monarchy as there are references in the book to the "Royal" slowly disappearing from a number of Canadian institutions. A well written and interesting biography and work of Canadian history.

[Anne Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what an amazing biography. This is the third book I've read in the "Extraordinary Canadians" series (Laurier and Trudeau) and it's definitely the most compelling so far. I don't know whether it was simply the timing on my part or whether it was Cohen's prose — probably a combination of the two — but I couldn't put this book down and read it in one sitting. I recommended this little book to anyone who is interested in learning about this extraordinary man. (For those wanting more Pearson books, Cohen includes a lengthy annotated bibliography which I will definitely explore.)

[Jeffrey Sylvester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was okay but nothing too exciting. I had previously suspected Pearson presided over Canada's welfare state development, and bridged old to new modern Canada, and outside of his foreign bureaucracy work those were his real accomplishments. But I've read other authors describe Pearson, particularly with respect to his relationship to American administrations, that made him out to be far more exciting. In one work, he was made out to be an elitist well received by Kennedy whereas Diefenbaker was an antagonizing grassroots showboat. For me, Cohen's work painted Pearson in a boring light. A middle of the road work-a-holic that consistently produced results but many of which would have been a product of that time regardless of leader. The book was okay but not one of the better in the series.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andrew Cohen's short biography of Lester B. Pearson is excellent. He makes a convincing argument that Pearson was one of the key contributors to the creation of modern Canada and that he was probably the most productive Prime Minister in our history. He accomplished more in 5 years than most of our PMs did in longer terms in office. The list of his government's accomplishments is impressive: the Canada Pension Plan, the Canada Assistance Plan, a new flag, Medicare, bilingualism, and federal funding of universities. However, Pearson's extraordinary record was obscured by his lack of charisma, his bumbling leadership style and the intense partisanship of the era. His record, however, is extraordinary and full of important building blocks that make Canada the country it is today. Pearson's achievements before becoming PM are just as impressive when he joined Canada's Department of External Affairs and rose up through the ranks, eventually winning the Nobel Peace Prize for defusing the Suez crisis in 1956/57. For anyone interested in learning more about one of the most influential Canadians of the 20th century, Andrew Cohen's book is an excellent place to start.

[Joe Seliske · Rating 5 out of 5]

In October 1972 I was a first-year Pharmacy student at the University of Toronto - my first time away from home. A classmate had obtained free tickets to a "Liberal Party Rally" at Maple Leaf Gardens. It was October 16, 1972, just two weeks before the October 30th election. Pierre Trudeau's Liberals narrowly bested Robert Stanfield's Conservatives 109-107.

The rally was wild - 17,000 Liberal supporters cheering over the efforts of the rock band Crowbar. It was all about Pierre Trudeau. Later in the program, a "special guest" came on stage - Lester B. "Mike" Pearson came out and waved to the crowd. Unlike rock concerts of today, there was no big screen to show everyone in the faraway seats what was happening on stage. We had faith that the person waving to us from the stage was in fact former Liberal Prime Minister Pearson. The person who gave us the distinctive new flag and had received the Nobel Peace Prize. Since I was seventeen at the time, most of his career was unknown to me.

Andrew Cohen filled in the blanks.

[Mark Nenadov · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging biography, well-written and accessible to those with limited knowledge of/interest in politics. It is positive but not overly glowing or fawning. Lester B. Pearson was the 14th Prime Minister of Canada (1963-1968), whose government introduced the flag, the Canada Pension Plan, Canada's Health Care system, and bilingualism. During his time in office Canada also experienced a substantial reduction in federal debt. Before becoming Prime Minister be also won the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize. There are some interesting ways in which Pearson was very different from those who come before and after him. In a sense he was a “pre television” figure in the beginning of the “television era”. (I'm at 4/23 in reading books by or about Canadian Prime Ministers)

[John Newton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I regard Lester Pearson as one of Canada’s great prime ministers and a genuine Liberal in the true meaning of that word. In a few short years he introduced many features which remain hallmarks of Canadian society to this day, more than half a century later. However, I found this book a bit of a disappointment, as it seemed a rather pale portrait of that great man. It didn’t really help me to know Lester Pearson as a person, as I had hoped. But perhaps I was asking too much from a relatively short volume such as this (200 pages).

[astraeus · Rating 4 out of 5]

short and lively biography of PM pearson
not extremely famous in canadian history but definitely meaningful to learn more about this "golden boy"

[F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Upon reading his biography, one is easily misled onto thinking Pearson had had it all too easily, too effortlessly, almost grudgingly, and is convinced that his journey to power is a product of luck and connections, merely of political and strategic planning.

But there is a rare, authentic power in being there at the right time, at the right place. And it isn’t just that. That Pearson rose up the ranks of the External Affairs Department and got to St. Laurent is due to his starting there when it was yet newly erected, and due to his hard work on the international stage that got him wide recognition. Pearson may have got a grant and a Rhode's fellowship because of an acquaintance, but he distinguished himself at Oxford remarkably, presiding over exclusive gentlemen clubs and immersing himself into diverse social circles, where he got acquainted with people who later went on to dominate the international scene. Pearson may have, unlike his brother, been spared the atrocities of the WWI, but he willingly went to the world's most turbulent city during WWII out of duty to his country, when he could have simply retired to academia in UoT. Pearson saved the world from a third world war had the Suez Crisis not been resolved thanks to his efforts, which earned him a Nobel peace prize. I can go on and on to prove that despite his luck – or frequent, favorable circumstances, whatever –, Pearson worked hard and endured many hardships to get where he finally landed in ’63.

Of his achievements in 24 Sussex Drive – he's had many in a short 5 years of minority government, including Medicare, divorce and pension acts –, his most successful, in my opinion, is the adoption of the maple leaf flag, a symbolic act so nationalistic that it is baffling that an internationalist had made it. It is an act so important it gave a country a new sense of being, advancing its status from a mere colonial outpost to the urban, post-industrial Canada of today.

[Bob Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

In ‘Lester B. Pearson’ Andrew Cohen has written a highly readable account of a great prime minister. This biography examines the life of Lester B. Pearson who was another of those prime ministers that lead Canada during a part of my lifetime when politics was not something I noticed much. It is therefore quite remarkable to read about his contributions that have affected me and this country a lot; official bilingualism, our flag, the Canada Pension Plan, and the military as peacekeepers throughout the world, just to name a few.

[Brent L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A biography of Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Pearson's policy choices set Canada on the course to multiculturalism, and propelled Canada into world affairs. Reigning over the period some refer to as Canada's golden age of diplomacy, in hindsight there are some lingering doubts....

[Maurice Tougas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise biography of one of our greatest prime ministers. Cohen does a remarkable job of condensing an extraordinary life into one slim volume. Read it to remind yourself of what good a government, and a good leader, can do for a country.

[Adrian]

Short biography of Candian PM. Well written.

[Ean · Rating 3 out of 5]

8.0 / 10