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The Right Honourable Daniel Roland Michener
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Governor General: 1967 - 1974
Appointed: March 29, 1967
Sworn In: April 17, 1967, Senate Chamber, Ottawa
Born: April 19, 1900, Lacombe, Alberta
Died: August 6, 1991
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Roland Michener was appointed Governor General the same year
that Canada celebrated 100 years of Confederation. Mr. and Mrs.
Michener had barely started their term of office when the long procession
of visiting dignitaries began. It was 1967 and Rideau Hall was rarely
empty – 53 heads of State arrived to celebrate the Centennial and
visit Expo '67 in Montreal.
On July 1, 1967, the Order of Canada was born and Governor General
Michener presided over the first presentation ceremony in November
of the same year. In 1972, the Order of Military Merit and Decorations
for Bravery were introduced, and in 1973 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II presented Mr. Michener with the Royal Victorian Chain, one of
only two Canadians ever to receive the honour. (The other was former
Governor General Vincent Massey in 1960.)
Mr. Michener was an avid sportsman and athlete who followed a
daily exercise regime – he could be seen jogging every morning.
His encouragement to engage in daily exercise has had a lasting
effect on the physical well-being of many Canadians. Many people
still remember his support of the 'Participaction Program' – a campaign
aimed at increasing the fitness of all Canadians. He further encouraged
sport by establishing the Roland Michener Trophy for the Juvenile
"AAA" championship in Ontario as well as a championship trophy for
sport fishing, called the Michener Tuna Trophy.
Mr. Michener was a great motivator of Canadian youth and he encouraged
them to be part of Canada's great future by achieving their full
potential. He believed that his role as Governor General put him
in a unique position to inspire Canadians by applauding their best
efforts. His encouragement of excellence also extended to journalism
with the creation of the Michener Awards for Journalism in 1970.
During their stay at Rideau Hall, Roland Michener and his wife
Norah relaxed protocol in a number of ways – the most well-known
example was the dropping of the curtsey. They were a gracious vice-regal
couple and Government House became a centre for social life during
their tenure. They returned the Governor General's New Year's Levee
to Rideau Hall from the Senate Chamber in 1972. The Micheners frequently
visited abroad and they also instituted periodic meetings with provincial
Lieutenant-Governors, which started in 1973.
Life Before and After Rideau Hall
Roland Michener attended the University of Alberta for his undergraduate
degree, then earned graduate degrees at Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship.
While he was at Oxford he met Lester B. Pearson – the two men would
become lifelong friends. He practised law in Toronto while sitting
on the Executive Council of Ontario and became the secretary general
for the Rhodes Foundation.
He married Norah Willis on February 26, 1927 in St. Mary Magdalen
Anglican Church in Toronto, and the couple had three daughters.
Sadly, one daughter, Wendy, died at the age of 33 on January 1,
1969, while the Micheners were in office.
For her thesis on the French philosopher, Jacques Maritain, Mrs.
Michener received her doctorate from the University of Toronto in
1953. From 1957 to 1962, Mr. Michener was speaker of the House of
Commons, then High Commissioner to India and first Canadian Ambassador
to Nepal from 1964 to 1967.
After his term as Governor General, the couple moved to Toronto
where Mr. Michener served as Chancellor of Queen's University until
1980, all the while remaining active in business throughout Canada.
In his later years, a mountain in Alberta was named in his honour
and, still energetic at age 80, he climbed to the peak to celebrate
the naming ceremony. Following his death at the age of 91, his ashes
were interred beside those of his wife, who had died on January
12, 1987, at St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church in Ottawa, directly
across from Rideau Hall.
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