George Forrester Davidson, (April 18, 1909 – July 22, 1995) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

civil servant and president of the CBC. Born in Bass River,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, he graduated from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

in 1928 and earned a Ph.D. in classical studies from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1932. He was appointed Superintendent of Welfare in

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, ...

and became Director of Welfare in 1939. Despite his lack of training, Davidson learned on the job from B.C.'s first professional social worker, Laura Holland, and Dr. Harry Cassidy. He took over from Cassidy as B.C.'s Director of Welfare in 1939 and soon thereafter became director of the Canadian Welfare Council. He served as Deputy Minister for National Health and Welfare from 1944 to 1960, helping to administer the new Family Allowance program, then later worked in Citizenship and Immigration, as Secretary to the Treasury Board. He was president of the CBC from 1968 until 1972. In 1972 he held the most senior post ever by a Canadian in the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

when

Kurt Waldheim Kurt Josef Waldheim (; 21 December 1918 – 14 June 2007) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. Waldheim was the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 and president of Austria from 1986 to 1992. While he was running for th ...

appointed him Under-Secretary General for Administration and Management, a position which he held for seven years. In 1972 he was made a Companion of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. He died in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in 1995.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, George 1909 births 1995 deaths Canadian civil servants Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent
-> Companions of the Order of Canada Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni People from Colchester County Presidents of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation University of British Columbia alumni