William Anthony Paddon, (July 10, 1914 – January 5, 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 ...

surgeon and the

seventh Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season e ...

lieutenant governor of Newfoundland The lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador () is the viceregal representative in Newfoundland and Labrador of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as w ...

from 1981 to 1986. Born in Indian Harbour,

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, the son of Dr. Harry Locke Paddon (1881-1939) and Mina Gilchrist, a physician and a nurse, respectively, with the International Grenfell Association. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1936 from

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

. He received his

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

in 1940 from

New York Medical College New York Medical College (NYMC or New York Med) is a private medical school in Valhalla, New York. Founded in 1860, it is a member of the Touro College and University System. NYMC offers advanced degrees through its three schools: the School o ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served with the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

as a surgeon. After the war, he returned to Labrador with the

International Grenfell Association The International Grenfell Association (IGA) is an organization founded by Sir Wilfred Grenfell to provide health care, education, religious services, and rehabilitation and other social activities to the fisherman and coastal communities in norther ...

, serving as doctor at the North West River hospital. He was the director of the IGA from 1960 until his retirement in 1978. He married Sheila Fortescue, also an IGA nurse. In 1981, he was the first, and so far only Labradorian to be appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador. He served until 1986. In 1986, he published his autobiography, ''Labrador Doctor: My Life with the Grenfell Mission''. In 1977 he received an honorary doctorate from Memorial University. In 1978, he was made a Member 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 ...

and was promoted to Officer in 1988. On 21 June 2014, a new building at

CFS St. John's Garrison St. John's is a Canadian Forces Garrison located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Garrison St. John's is located on north shore of Quidi Vidi Lake on part of the former site of Pepperrell Air Force Base, as well as a small adj ...

was named after him.

References

External links

Biography at Government House ''The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador''
1914 births 1995 deaths Canadian military personnel from Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian Anglicans Canadian surgeons Lieutenant Governors of Newfoundland and Labrador Officers of the Order of Canada Trinity College (Connecticut) alumni New York Medical College alumni 20th-century surgeons Royal Canadian Navy officers Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II {{canada-viceroy-stub