20 Jul Georges and Pauline Vanier: Portrait of a Couple
Few figures have had as lasting an influence on Canadian institutions, history, politics, and culture as Georges and Pauline Vanier. Georges (1888-1967), a decorated military officer, became a professional diplomat, the first Canadian ambassador to France, and the first French-Canadian governor general of Canada. Pauline (1898-1991), a respected humanitarian, Privy Council member, and university chancellor, shared her husband’s responsibilities and helped shape his thoughts on foreign and domestic affairs.
Georges and Pauline Vanier follows their lives and travels across the world – from Canadian military life to the League of Nations, from the inner circles of British government to their harrowing escape from Nazi-occupied France – detailing their disappointments and triumphs during social and political turbulence.
With insight and sympathy, Mary Frances Coady tells their dramatic personal story. Revealing their remarkably vibrant personalities, she details the couple’s support of the French resistance as well as Georges Vanier’s pleas for the Canadian government to accept refugees fleeing Hitler’s horrors and his effort to broaden immigration policy. She also recounts the importance of their religious convictions, their controversial standing among Quebecers, and their early advocacy of official bilingualism.
An invigorating and well-told tale of their lasting legacies, Georges and Pauline Vanier is the definitive account of the enduring contributions the Vaniers made to the world and to their country.
Reviews
“A timely and often tender book about an extraordinary couple Canadians have every right to feel enormous pride in.”
— The Globe and Mail
“The story of the Vaniers’ marriage, their spiritual quest and their devotion to Canada is deeply moving and revealing. Coady dissects two great souls with delicacy and perception to provide a rich and profoundly moving portrait of two extraordinary individuals.”
— The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, former governor general of Canada
“This double biography is a careful, thorough work which fills a gap in Canadian history. Coady’s insights into each partner are sympathetic and convincing, and her writing is accessible and thoughtful.”
— Charlotte Gray, author of Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike
“In refreshingly clear prose built upon tremendous research, Coady has written the story of a couple who served Canada not only in their lifetime, but through future generations.” — Montreal Review of Books