George Stanley White, (November 17, 1897 – January 6, 1977) was a Canadian parliamentarian and

Speaker of the Senate of Canada The speaker of the Senate of Canada (french: président du Sénat du Canada) is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada. The speaker represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of parliamentary procedure and parliamentar ...

from 1962 to 1963. White was born in Madoc, Ontario. He received a law degree from

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the ''Osgoode Hall La ...

in Toronto and returned to Madoc to begin his legal practice after serving in World War I with the 44th Battalion of the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

. White was first elected to the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

in 1940. He was elected as a " National Government" candidate as that was the banner the Conservatives used for that election. The Tories subsequently changed their name to " Progressive Conservative" and he was re-elected under that banner for the riding of Hastings—Peterborough (known as Hastings—Frontenac after 1953). As an Opposition MP, White promoted the cause of war veterans and helped write the legislation known as the "Veteran's Charter". The 1957 election resulted in the first Progressive Conservative government in over two decades. In September of that year new Progressive Conservative Prime Minister

John Diefenbaker John George Diefenbaker ( ; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an electio ...

made White his first appointment to the Senate so that

Sidney Earle Smith Sidney Earle Smith, (March 9, 1897 – March 17, 1959) was an academic and Canada's Secretary of State for External Affairs in the government of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. Early life and education Born and raised on Nova Scotia's P ...

, the newly appointed Secretary of State for External Affairs despite not being an MP could attempt to win a seat in the House of Commons through a by-election. White served as the government's whip in the Senate from 1958 until September 1962 when he was appointed Speaker. He only served in the chair for a few months until the defeat of the Diefenbaker government in the 1963 federal election. He voluntarily retired from the Senate on November 17, 1972, when he turned 75.

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Speaker of the Canadian Senate
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, George Stanley 1897 births 1977 deaths Canadian senators from Ontario Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Members of the United Church of Canada Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs Progressive Conservative Party of Canada senators Speakers of the Senate of Canada