Gary Richard Harman (14 April 1929 – 24 July 2012) was a Canadian diplomat. Over a career in the Canadian Foreign Service, he represented Canada in various international postings, including ambassadorships to Cuba, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

Early life and education

Harman was born on 14 April 1929 in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

, to the owner of Harman's Drug Store, a community centre during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

. He attended Gordon Bell High School, earning the Governor General's Medal upon graduation in 1947. During his youth, he pursued music, obtaining an Associate of the Royal Schools of Music in 1946 and a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music in 1948. Harman attended the University of Manitoba, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History in 1950. His talent as a pianist led to recordings of works by

Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of N ...

Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...

, and Chopin between 1946 and 1962.

Career

Harman began his professional career in the Department of Trade and Commerce before joining the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

International Intern Program in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1952. He married Margaret Siddall in 1954, and the couple started an international career in diplomacy. From 1970 to 1971, Harman served as Chargé d'Affaires at the Canadian Embassy in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. He later held the following positions: * Ambassador to

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

(1977–1981) * Ambassador to

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

(1985–1987) * Ambassador to

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

(1987–1990) * Ambassador to

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

(May–August 1990), concurrently accredited while resident in Syria. Harman retired in 1993 and settled in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Personal life

Harman was married to Margaret Siddall for 58 years. Together, they had three children: Lesley, Edward, and Katherine, as well as several grandchildren. Harman developed fluency in French, Russian, Polish, Czech, Arabic, Spanish, and German. A lover of the arts, Harman supported opera, ballet, theatre, and orchestra. He was an active member of the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...

Death

Gary Harman died of natural causes on 24 July 2012 in Ottawa at the age of 83. His funeral was held at MacKay United Church on 28 July 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harman, Gary Richard 1929 births 2012 deaths People from Winnipeg University of Manitoba alumni 20th-century Canadian civil servants Ambassadors of Canada to Cuba Ambassadors of Canada to Jordan Ambassadors of Canada to Syria Ambassadors of Canada to Lebanon