Graydon Nicholas (born 1946) is a Canadian attorney, judge, and politician who served as the appointed 30th

Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick The lieutenant governor of New Brunswick (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the viceregal representative in New Brunswick of the , who operates distinctly wit ...

(2009-2014). He is the first Indigenous person to hold the office, the first to be appointed as a provincial court judge (in 1991), and the first in Atlantic Canada to obtain a law degree.

Early life and education

Graydon Nicholas was born into a

Maliseet The Wəlastəkwewiyik, or Maliseet (, also spelled Malecite), are an Algonquian-speaking First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the indigenous people of the Wolastoq ( Saint John River) valley and its tributaries. Their territor ...

family on the

Tobique First Nations Reserve Tobique First Nation ( pqm, Wolastoqiyik Neqotkuk) is one of six Wolastoqiyik or Maliseet Nation reserves in New Brunswick, Canada. The Tobique Reserve is located on the north side of the Tobique River. The reserve comprises two lots (The ...

. He earned a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree from

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Fra ...

and, in 1971, a

Bachelor of Law Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

degree from the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public un ...

. He was the first

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: ** First Nat ...

person in Atlantic Canada to earn a law degree. He also obtained a

Master of Social Work The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a master's degree in the field of social work. It is a professional degree with specializations compared to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). MSW promotes macro-, mezzo- and micro-aspects of professional social wor ...

degree from

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campus ...

in 1974.

Career

Returning to New Brunswick, Nicholas worked for the

Union of New Brunswick Indians Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''U ...

, serving as its chairman of the board (1976–1980) and president (1980–1988). Selected as chair of the Native Studies program at

St. Thomas University St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: * Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

, he has lectured part time.Lorraine Snyder, "Graydon Nicholas"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia,'' 16 December 2013, accessed 6 July 2015 Nicholas was appointed as a provincial court judge in 1991, but not the first aboriginal to be selected for the position in Atlantic Canada (see, James Igloliorte, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL, 1980-81). He has worked for justice for First Nations and other peoples, particularly in the area of logging rights. During this period, he also lectured in theology at the Vancouver School of Theology and the Native Ministries Consortium program. In September 2009, Nicholas was appointed as the next Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick on the advice of

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

, on the suggestion of

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Shawn Graham Shawn Michael Graham (born February 22, 1968) is a Canadian politician, who served as the 31st premier of New Brunswick from 2006 to 2010. He was elected leader of the New Brunswick Liberal Party in 2002 and became premier after his party captur ...

with support from the opposition. He was the first Aboriginal named to this position."Graydon Nicholas named N.B.'s next lieutenant-governor"
CBC News, 10 September 2009 He served a five-year term. He succeeded

Herménégilde Chiasson Herménégilde Chiasson (born 7 April 1946) is a Canadian poet, playwright and visual artist of Acadian origin. Born in Saint-Simon, New Brunswick, he was the 29th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick between 2003 and 2009. He is also curre ...

, the poet and philosopher, on September 30, 2009.

Honours

*New Brunswick Human Rights Award *Fredericton YMCA Peace Medallion *Canada 125 Medal *Inaugural recipient of the Golden Jubilee Medal *2011, Nicholas was honoured as one of

's 100 alumni of achievement *Member of the

Order of New Brunswick The Order of New Brunswick (french: Ordre du Nouveau Brunswick) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Instituted in 2000 by Lieutenant Governor Marilyn Trenholme Counsell, on the advice of the Cabinet under Prem ...

and of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the c ...

References

External links

Official website of the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick

Backgrounder: The Honourable Graydon Nicholas
Office of the Prime Minister. September 10, 2009. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas, Graydon 1946 births Living people Maliseet people Lieutenant Governors of New Brunswick Members of the Order of New Brunswick Judges in New Brunswick Members of the Order of Canada 21st-century Canadian politicians

Early life and education

Career

Honours

See also

References

External links