Alfred Pike (“Ted”) Bissonnet (1914–1979) was a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

. He was born in

Stanstead, Quebec Stanstead is a city (Quebec), town in the Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, located on the Canada–United States border across from Derby Line, Vermont, Derby Line, Vermont. The Town of Stanstead was c ...

, the son of Alfred Joseph Bissonnet, an industrialist and Member of the Québec National Assembly from Stanstead, and Josephine Pike of neighbouring Derby Line, Vermont, and studied at

Stanstead College Stanstead College is an English-language independent boarding school in Stanstead, Quebec, Canada, for boys and girls in Grades 7 through 12. The school is located on a campus in Quebec's Eastern Townships – just north of the Canada–United S ...

and

Bishop's University Bishop's University () is a small English-language Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Lennoxville, a borough of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The founder of the institution was the Anglican Diocese of Quebec, Anglican Bishop of Quebec ...

. Bissonnet joined the Black Watch regiment and served overseas in the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was wounded in the Netherlands and during his recovery in the UK applied to and later joined the Department of Trade and Commerce in 1946 following the end of the war. As a Trade Commissioner he served in Athens, Rome, Karachi, Stockholm and Tokyo, before returning to Ottawa in 1963, where he was subsequently appointed Director of the

Trade Commissioner Service Part of Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) is a network of more than 1000 trade professionals working in Canadian embassies, high commissions, and consulates located in 161 cities around the world and with offic ...

. In 1968 he transferred to the Department of External Affairs where he was appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

in 1968, and then in 1970-78 concurrently as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

. In Rome in 1949 he met and married Marcella Despujols, daughter of the French artist Jean Despujols and granddaughter of Admiral '' :it: Lamberto Vannutelli''. They had three children, Maria-Luisa (1949–51), Richard (1953-) and Catherine (1957-).

References

External links

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada Complete List of Posts
1914 births 1979 deaths Ambassadors of Canada to Indonesia Ambassadors of Canada to Paraguay Ambassadors of Canada to Uruguay Ambassadors of Canada to Argentina Bishop's University alumni Stanstead College alumni {{Canada-diplomat-stub