Maryon Elspeth Pearson (née Moody; December 13, 1901 – December 26, 1989) was the wife of

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 ...

, the 14th

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada (french: premier ministre du Canada, link=no) is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the confidence of a majority the elected House of Commons; as su ...

."Maryon Pearson spoke her mind". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

'', December 18, 1989. It was reportedly also at Maryon Pearson's behest that the practice of

curtsey A curtsy (also spelled curtsey or incorrectly as courtsey) is a traditional gendered gesture of greeting, in which a girl or woman bends her knees while bowing her head. In Western culture it is the feminine equivalent of bowing by males. Miss Ma ...

ing to the

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

and his

consort __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

was discontinued—apparently because Pearson refused to act deferentially toward her longtime friend

Norah Michener Norah Willis Michener (1971) Norah Willis Michener PhDNorah Willis Michener (1953). ''The Integral Humanism of Jacques Maritain Related to His Philosophy of the Person'' (doctoral thesis). Biographical information. (1902–12 January 1987) was t ...

."Who is the Governor General? Roland Michener and Jules Léger"
. ''The Idler'', March 1, 1990.

Life

Maryon Elspeth Moody was born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

, on December 13, 1901. Her father was a doctor and her mother was superintendent of nurses at a hospital. Maryon and Lester Pearson met at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

, where he was a teacher and she was a student. The two married on August 22, 1925. They had one son, Geoffrey, and one daughter, Patricia. Geoffrey was married to former Canadian Senator

Landon Pearson Landon Carter "Lucy" Pearson, (born November 16, 1930) is a Canadian former Canadian Senator and a children's rights advocate. She is the daughter-in-law of former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, through her marriage to his son Geoffrey Pear ...

. Geoffrey and Landon's daughter is ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'' journalist Patricia Pearson (not to be confused with her aunt, of the same name, who did not maintain a public career).

Reputation

Maryon Pearson was best known for her sharp-tongued wit, developing a reputation as an outspoken figure who freely spoke her mind and had little use for the demure and quiet image fostered by many wives of previous prime ministers. It was reportedly also at Maryon Pearson's behest that the practice of

ing to the

and his

was discontinued—apparently because Pearson refused to act deferentially toward her longtime friend

. Among her most famous quotations:

"Behind every successful man, there stands a surprised woman." "We lost everything. We even won our own constituency." "The big problem is to find suitable hats. I don't care for them all that much, but you have to wear them in politics." ''On the retired former prime minister's greater time at home:'' "I married him for better or worse. I didn't marry him for lunch." Charles Lynch, "Maryon Pearson: 'the smartest prime ministerial wife'". ''
Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris, it was renamed the ''Citizen'' in 1851. The new ...
'', December 28, 1989. ''On being asked during an election campaign by a reporter, "Is there anything you'd like to bring up, Mrs. Pearson?":'' "Yes, three doughnuts and six cups of coffee." ''On being asked for her opinion of a speech given by Lester'': ''"You missed several opportunities to sit down."''"Maryon Pearson dies at 88". ''
The Province ''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the '' Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's on ...
'', December 28, 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, Maryon 1901 births 1989 deaths People from Toronto Spouses of prime ministers of Canada University of Toronto alumni

Maryon Monaco's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 in Istanbul was the first after a twenty-five-year break. They were represented by Maryon with the song "Notre planète". Before Eurovision Internal selection TMC announced in October 2003 ...

People from Winnipeg

Life

Reputation

See also

References