Hugh Llewellyn Keenleyside, CC (7 July 1898 – September 27, 1992) 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 ...

university professor,

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

, and

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

. He was the Canadian ambassador to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

from 1944 to 1947, and the

commissioner of the Northwest Territories The commissioner of the Northwest Territories (french: Commissaire des Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is the Government of Canada's representative in the Northwest Territories. Similar in certain functions to a lieutenant governor, the commissioner s ...

from January 14, 1947 to September 15, 1950.Shelagh D. Grant "Hugh Llewellyn Keenleyside: Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, 1947-1950." ''Arctic'' 43.1 (1990): 80-82. Born in Toronto, the son of Ellis William and Margaret (Irvine) Keenleyside, he moved with his family to

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, ...

when he was a few months old. After serving with 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 ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree 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 1920. He married Katherine Pillsbury in 1924. He received a Master of Arts degree in 1921 and Ph.D. in 1923 from

Clark University Clark University is a private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts. Founded in 1887 with a large endowment from its namesake Jonas Gilman Clark, a prominent businessman, Clark was one of the first modern research universities in the ...

. He taught history at Clark University,

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

and

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. He returned to the University of British Columbia in 1927, but left to work at Macmillan publishers, before joining the Department of External Affairs at the same time as

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian scholar, statesman, diplomat, and politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. Born in Newtonbrook, Ontario (now part of ...

. In 1929, he was posted to

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, to open the new Canadian embassy there. He returned to Canada in 1936, and prepared the 1939 royal visit of

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

and Queen Elizabeth. In 1941, he was appointed Assistant Under-Secretary of State for External Affairs. From 1944 to 1947, he was the Canadian Ambassador to Mexico. From 1940 to 1945, he served on the Canadian Section of the Permanent Joint Board on Defence. He was the commissioner of the Northwest Territories from 1947 to 1950. From 1947 to 1949, he was the Deputy Minister of Mines and Resources. From 1950 to 1958, he was the director general of 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 ...

' Technical Assistance Administration period in which he had been suspected of protecting Soviet agents. From 1959 to 1962, he was the chairman of the British Columbia Power Commission and co-chairman at the

British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, with the excep ...

from 1962 to 1969. He retired in 1969. From 1969 to 1977, he served as Chancellor and Chairman of the Board of Governors of Notre Dame University College. He published a two-volume memoir: ''Hammer the Golden Day'' and ''On the Bridge of Time''.

Honours

In 1969, 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 ...

"for service at the United Nations and in public administration". He also was the 1982 recipient of the

Pearson Medal of Peace The Pearson Medal of Peace is an award given out annually by the United Nations Association in Canada to recognize an individual Canadian's "contribution to international service". Nominations are made by any Canadian for any Canadian, excluding sel ...

for his work in

public service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

. The Hugh Keenleyside Dam on the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

is named in his honour. He was awarded an honorary degree from the

in 1945 and an honorary

Doctor of Law A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL ...

s from his alma mater Clark University in 1951.

References

External links

* Grant, Shelagh D. "Hugh Llewellyn Keenleyside: Commissioner of the Northwest Territories, 1947-1950." ''Arctic'' 43.1 (1990): 80-82
online

Order of Canada citation
*

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071029053739/http://www.archivescanada.ca/english/search/ItemDisplay.asp?sessionKey=1143412449030_206_191_57_196&l=0&lvl=2&v=0&coll=1&itm=186179&rt=1&bill=1 Hugh L. Keenleyside fonds] *
Pearson Medal of Peace - Hugh L. Keenleyside

Hugh Llewellyn Keenlyside
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keenlyside, Hugh 1898 births 1992 deaths Ambassadors of Canada to Mexico Brown University faculty 20th-century Canadian civil servants Canadian memoirists Canadian university and college chancellors Clark University faculty Clark University alumni Commissioners of the Northwest Territories Companions of the Order of Canada People in history occupations Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Penn State Nittany Lions men's soccer coaches Pennsylvania State University faculty People from Toronto Syracuse University faculty University of British Columbia alumni University of British Columbia faculty High Commissioners of Canada to the Dominion of Newfoundland Canadian soccer coaches 20th-century memoirists