When Lester Pearson became the 1st Canadian Nobel Peace Prize laureate

On Oct. 14, 1957, Lester Pearson became the first Canadian to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

But some other Canadians heard news of his award before he learned about it himself.

It was reported by the Toronto Starthe next day, that the cable had been sent to an incorrectaddress.And so Pearson was informed of the honourby reporters looking for an interview.

When told that the award brought with it just over $40,000, Pearson told the Star that"for a former university professor, civil servant and cabinet minister, that is an awful lot of money."

Pearson told CBChe was "almost overcome"by the honour, statingthat he did the work "as a representative of Canada."

Recognized for Suez Crisis work

With the Nobel Prize, Pearson was being recognized for beinginstrumental in brokering a peace in Egypt in 1956, when he was still serving as Canada's secretary of state for external affairs.

Archives7:43Lester Pearson's Suez solution in 1956

Canada's minister of external affairs makes a proposal to solve the Suez Crisis one that will win him the Nobel Peace Prize. Aired on a CBC Radio News Special on Nov. 3, 1956.

The Suez Canal was at the centre of an armed crisis in 1956 when Britain, France, and Israel joined forces in an attempt to reclaim the vital shipping route after control of it was seizedby the Egyptian government on July 26, 1956.

In an era of cold war politics, the bombing of the Canal zone by Britain and France on Oct. 31 was perceived as a threat that could escalate to a broader war.Pearson's solution was the creation of a United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) which allowed UNtroops to enter the area, upon the withdrawal of the forces of the three aggressors.

Pearson on the world stage

On Dec. 10, 1957, when Pearson was in Oslo to accept his award, he reflectedupon the necessity of working "with all other men of goodwill in all countries of the world" for peace.

Lester Pearson accepts his Nobel Peace Prize on Dec. 10, 1957

67 years ago

Duration 1:18

Lester Pearson, in Oslo to receive his Nobel, speaks of the award as an incentive to work toward "the empire of peace."

Before he was elected to Parliament in 1948, Pearson had followed a career path in diplomacy, with positions in the Canadian High Commission in London, as ambassador to the U.S. (when he attended the 1945 founding conferenceof the United Nations) and as deputy minister of external affairs.After he entered politics, his interest in the UNcontinued, and he was president of the UNGeneral Assembly in 1952.

In 1960, Pearson, who was by that time leader of the Official Opposition, appeared on CBC-TV'sFront Page Challenge, where he was quickly identified as "a very prominent Canadian" and questioned at length about his stance on nuclear disarmament and whether he believed that a continuing peace was achievable.

And of course he did go on to become Canada's 14th prime minister, in office from 1963 to 1968.