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Norman Robertson

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Norman Alexander Robertson
Norman Robertson and Mackenzie King, 1944
Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet
In office
March 15, 1949 – May 31, 1952
Preceded byArnold Heeney
Succeeded byJack Pickersgill
Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
In office
1946–1949
Prime MinisterW.L. Mackenzie King
Louis St. Laurent
Preceded byVincent Massey
Succeeded byL. Dana Wilgress
In office
1952–1957
Prime MinisterLouis St. Laurent
John Diefenbaker
Preceded byL. Dana Wilgress
Succeeded byGeorge A. Drew
Personal details
Born(1904-03-04)March 4, 1904
Vancouver, British Columbia
DiedJuly 16, 1968(1968-07-16) (aged 64)
Ottawa, Ontario
Alma materUniversity of British Columbia
Balliol College, Oxford

Norman Alexander Robertson, CC (March 4, 1904 – July 16, 1968) was a Canadian diplomat and was one of Prime Minister Mackenzie King's advisers.

Norman Robertson and colleagues at the Paris Peace Conference, Palais du Luxembourg. (L.-r.:) Norman Robertson, Rt. Hon. W.L. Mackenzie King, Hon. Brooke Claxton, Arnold Heeney

Background and early life

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Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, he was educated at the University of British Columbia and was a Rhodes Scholar attending Balliol College, Oxford.

In 1929 he started with the Department of External Affairs.

Senior diplomatic appointments

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In 1941, he became Under Secretary of State for External Affairs.

From 1946 to 1949 and 1952 to 1957, he was Canadian High Commissioner in London, during which time he participated at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II as Standard Bearer, and from 1957 to 1958 he was Canadian Ambassador in Washington, D.C.

Honours; death

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In 1967, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.[1] Robertson is buried at Maclaren Cemetery in Wakefield, Quebec.[2] Robertson is buried at the same cemetery as fellow diplomats and friends Hume Wrong and Lester B. Pearson.

References

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  1. ^ Order of Canada citation
  2. ^ "Vacation and Hotel Reviews, Travel Photos and Pictures, Travel Deals - IgoUgo".

Further reading

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  • Granatstein, J. L. A man of influence: Norman A. Robertson and Canadian statecraft, 1929-68 (1981) scholarly biography; online
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Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
1946–1949
Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
1952–1957
Succeeded by