Pauline Vanier, PC, CC,

DStJ The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (), commonly known as the Order of St John, and also known as St John International, is an order of chivalry constituted in 1888 by royal charter from Queen Victoria and dedica ...

(''née'' Archer; March 28, 1898 – March 23, 1991) was a Canadian humanitarian who was married to

Georges Vanier Georges-Philias Vanier (; 23 April 1888 – 5 March 1967) was a Canadian military officer, diplomat, and statesman who served as the 19th governor general of Canada from 1959 to 1967, the first Quebecer (demonym), Quebecer and second Can ...

. Her husband was one of Canada's first professional diplomats, Canada's first ambassador to France, and the first French-Canadian

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

from 1959 until his death in 1967. She was the first woman

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

as well as the first non-

Roman Catholic Bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy orders in the Catholic Church, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teachin ...

to hold the role following the University's reorganization into a

public university A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

Life and career

She was the daughter of Thérèse (''née'' de Salaberry) and Charles Archer, a judge on the Quebec superior court. Her mother was a descendant of

Charles de Salaberry Lieutenant-Colonel Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry, CB (19 November 1778 – 27 February 1829) was a Canadian military officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and War of 1812. He is best kno ...

, a military officer and statesman in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

. With her extensive diplomatic experience, Pauline filled the role of vice-regal consort with as much distinction as her husband filled his. Georges and Pauline Vanier created the

Vanier Institute of the Family The Vanier Institute of the Family is a national, independent think tank committed to enhancing family wellbeing by making information about families accessible and actionable. Leveraging networks of researchers, educators, policymakers, and orga ...

in 1965.

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

page about the Vanier Institute of the Family
Madame Vanier was the first non-political woman to be appointed to the

Queen's Privy Council for Canada The King's Privy Council for Canada (), sometimes called His Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or simply the Privy Council (PC), is the full group of personal advisors to the monarch of Canada on state and constitutional affairs. Practically, ...

. She was sworn in on April 11, 1967, as a sign of honour from Prime Minister

Lester B. Pearson Lester Bowles Pearson (23 April 1897 – 27 December 1972) was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th prime minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He also served as Leader of the Liberal Party of C ...

. In July that same year, she was made one of the first Companions of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

for her humanitarian work. She was appointed as Chancellor of the

in 1966. The couple had five children. Their son

Jean Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

founded

L'Arche L'Arche ("The Ark") is an international federation of non-profit organisations working to create networks of community where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together. Founded in 1964 by Jean Vanier, Raphaël Si ...

, and their daughter

Thérèse Therese or Thérèse is a variant of the feminine given name Teresa. It may refer to: Persons Therese *Duchess Therese of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1773–1839), member of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and a Duchess of Mecklenburg *Therese of Br ...

was a medical doctor who specialized in

haematology Hematology ( spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the production ...

and

palliative care Palliative care (from Latin root "to cloak") is an interdisciplinary medical care-giving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating or reducing suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Man ...

Legacy

A Catholic elementary school in

Brampton Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

, Ontario, is named in her honor, as well as an

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 ...

middle school. Madame Vanier Hall, a women's residence at St. Thomas University in

Fredericton, New Brunswick Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

, also bears her name. In 1963, London Children's Aid and Catholic Social Services groups got together and created the "Madame Vanier Children's Services".

Pauline Vanier Park Pauline Vanier Park is a public park in Ottawa's Riverside Park area, located on Harkness Avenue. It is named after Pauline Vanier. The park was built in the early 1960s on what had been the Munro farm, next to neighbouring General Vanier Public ...

is named in her honour.

References

External links

Order of Canada CitationHistorica Minute of Pauline Vanier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vanier, Pauline 1898 births 1991 deaths Canadian viceregal consorts LabelleVanier, Pauline Companions of the Order of Canada Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada People from Montreal Vanier family