Edward Graham Lee (November 21, 1931 – April 8, 2020), also known as Ted Lee, was a Canadian lawyer and diplomat.

Early life

Edward Graham Lee was born in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

on November 21, 1931. He attended the

University of British Columbia Faculty of Law , mottoeng = Let justice be done though the heavens fall , type = Public Law School , endowment = , head_label = Dean , head = Ngai Pindell , established = , city = Vancouver , state = Br ...

(Class of 1955). His interest in international law was sparked by UBC's founding dean George F. Curtis. His 39-year career in Foreign Affairs were a result of the Dean's encouragement. He spent a year practising domestic law with

Nathaniel Nemetz Nathaniel Theodore (Nathan) Nemetz, (September 8, 1913 – October 21, 1997) was a Canadian lawyer and judge. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, he moved with his family to Vancouver when he was 10. He received a BA from the University of British ...

and Jack Austin in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. He found the scope of work in domestic law boring, and returned to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

to continue work in

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

Diplomatic career

While involved with the

United Nations Human Rights Commission The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of t ...

, Lee helped draft the convention against racial discrimination. Although there human rights had previously existed, this was significant because it was hard law that the state would have to comply with. He was an ambassador to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

when

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

was at its worst, but also when changes were being brought about. During this time, Canada provided support, both in statesmanship and funding to help the Black community set up infrastructure. He was able to help

Winnie Mandela Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela; 26 September 1936 – 2 April 2018), also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, and the second wife of Nelson Mandela. She serv ...

build a kindergarten and with the fostering of good relations with Archbishop

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

and

Helen Suzman Helen Suzman, OMSG, DBE (née Gavronsky; 7 November 1917 – 1 January 2009) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician. She represented a series of liberal and centre-left opposition parties during her 36-year tenure in th ...

Diplomatic posts

His career as a diplomat involved the "Legal Division, Department of External Affairs, Ottawa, 1956. Second Secretary to Jakarta, Indonesia, 1959. Deputy Chief of Protocol, 1961. Head of the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs Section, 1961. Counsellor to London, 1965. Director of Legal Operations, 1969-71, and of Personnel Operations, 1971-73. Legal Advisor and Director General of the Bureau of Legal Affairs, 1973-75. Ambassador to Israel and High Commissioner to Cyprus, 1975. Assistant Under-Secretary for United States Affairs, 1979-82. Ambassador to

and High Commissioner to

Lesotho Lesotho ( ), officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a country landlocked country, landlocked as an Enclave and exclave, enclave in South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Thabana Ntlenyana, highest mountains in Sou ...

and

Swaziland Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...

, and Canadian Representative to

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

, 1982-86. Legal Advisor and Assistant Deputy Minister for Legal, Consular and Immigration Affairs, 1986-90. Ambassador to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, Governor of Canada to the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna and to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, 1990-93".

Retirement and death

After officially retiring from his diplomatic career, he became an adjunct professor of

at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...

, and the president of the Canadian Council on International Law. Lee died on April 8, 2020, at the age of 88.

References

External links

* http://www.international.gc.ca/department/history-histoire/hp_search_results-en.asp?frm=person&lan=1&prsnid=215 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Edward Graham 1931 births 2020 deaths Ambassadors of Canada to Austria Ambassadors of Canada to Israel Ambassadors of Canada to South Africa People from Vancouver Peter A. Allard School of Law alumni University of British Columbia alumni Canadian lawyers