John George Diefenbaker

(Progressive Conservative)
June 21, 1957 - April 21, 1963

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John George Diefenbaker (Progressive Conservative Party of Canada) was Prime Minister of Canada from June 21, 1957, to April 21, 1963. During his term, he championed the Canadian Bill of Rights in 1958 and gave all Aboriginal people the right to vote in 1960. Mr. Diefenbaker was the first Prime Minister to appoint a woman Cabinet Minister and the first to appoint an Aboriginal person to the Senate. During his career, Mr. Diefenbaker also served as Leader of the Opposition from 1956 to 1957 and 1963 to 1967. He was Secretary of State for External Affairs in 1957 and 1959. John Diefenbaker was first elected to the House of Commons in 1940. He was a lawyer by profession. John Diefenbaker was born in Neustadt, Ontario, on September 18, 1895, and died in Ottawa, Ontario, on August 16, 1979.

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