George Stanley
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Col. the Hon. George Francis Gillman Stanley (July 6, 1907 - September 13, 2002) was a historian, author, soldier, teacher, public servant, and designer of the current Canadian flag.
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Career
George F.G. Stanley was born in Calgary, Alberta and received a B.A. from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta. He went to Oxford University in 1929 as the Rhodes Scholar from Alberta, and earned a B.A., M.A., M.Litt. and D.Phil.; he also played for the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club, which won the Spengler Cup in 1931. He returned to Canada in 1936 and was appointed a professor of history at Mount Allison University. He joined the military upon arriving in New Brunswick. During World War II, he served as an historian in the Historical Section at Canadian Army Headquarters in London, where he was also responsible for the Canadian War Artists; he was discharged as a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1947. He then taught at the University of British Columbia, holding the first ever chair in Canadian history in Canada. In 1949, Stanley went to teach at the Royal Military College of Canada, where he was dean of arts for seven years, and remained there until 1969. He then returned to Mount Allison University to become director of the new Canadian Studies program, the first of its kind in Canada. He retired in 1975, but continued to write remained active in public life well into his nineties. He is buried in Sackville, New Brunswick.
Politics
In 1982, he became the 25th Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick since Confederation and served in this capacity until 1987.
Family Life
In 1946, Stanley married Ruth L. Hill. They have three daughters: Della M.M. Stanley [Cromwell], Marietta R.E. Stanley and Laurie C.C. Stanley-Blackwell. They also have two grandchildren: Thomas E.G.S. Cromwell and Ruth L.H.Q. Stanley-Blackwell.Ruth_&_George_Stanley.jpg
Honours
In 1976, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1994. He also received a Knight of Justice of the Order of St. John, the Canadian Forces Decoration and twelve honourary degrees as well as his four earned degrees. He was a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and of the Royal Historical Society. In 1950, he was awarded the Royal Society of Canada's Tyrrell Medal for history. In 1955, he was elected president of the Canadian Historical Association; his landmark presidential address was entitled Act or Pact?: Another Look at Confederation (http://www.cha-shc.ca/bilingue/addresses/1956.htm).
Involvement with the Canadian Flag
Stanley wrote a letter to the flag committee suggesting that the new flag of Canada should be instantly recognizable, and simple enough so that school children could draw it. He drew a rough sketch of his design on the bottom of the letter. (It had been inspired as he drove earlier that day, when he saw a red and white tri-bar flag fluttering near the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario.)
The letter was placed on a wall with literally hundreds of other flag designs, and eventually was selected as one of the final three designs for consideration. Through some clever political moves by the Liberal members of the committee, it beat out Diefenbaker's flag (a combination of fleurs-de-lis, a maple leaf and the Union Jack), as well as the Pearson Pennant (a three-leafed stem on a white background with blue bars on either side).
Stanley's design was slightly modified by a government graphic artist (who, ironically enough, was a separatist), who gave the flag its current look. It was oficially adopted as the flag of Canada by the House of Commons on December 15, 1964 and by the Senate on December 17, 1964, and proclaimed by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, taking effect on February 15, 1965.
Some debate lingered over whether Stanley or the graphic designer should get credit for the flag, but it was settled in 1995 when Prime Minister Jean Chrétien officially recognized George Stanley as the father of Canada's flag (http://www.stfx.ca/people/lstanley/stanley/flaghistorypage2.htm).
Selected Works
- The Birth Of Western Canada: A History Of The Riel Rebellions (1936) Reprint (1992) U. of Toronto Press. ISBN 0802069312
- Canada's Soldiers 1604-1954: The Military History of An Unmilitary People (1954) Macmillan, Toronto.
- Louis Riel, Patriot or Rebel? (1954) Canadian Historical Association.
- In Search of the Magnetic North: A Soldier-surveyor's Letters from the North-west, 1843-1844 (1955) Toronto, Macmillan.
- In the Face of Danger: The History of the Lake Superior Regiment (1960)
- For Want of a Horse: Being a Journal of the Campaigns against the Americans in 1776 and 1777 conducted from Canada (1961) Tribune Press.
- Louis Riel (1963). Ryerson Press. 1st Paperback Edition, 1972. 5th Printing 1969. ISBN 0-07-092961-0.
- The Story of Canada's Flag: A Historical Sketch (1965) Ryerson Press.
- New France: The Last Phase, 1744-1760" (1968) McClelland and Stewart.
- A Short History of the Canadian Constitution (1969) Ryerson Press.
- The War of 1812: Land Operations (1983) Macmillan of Canada. ISBN 0771598599
- The Collected Writings Of Louis Riel/Les Ecrits Complets de Louis Riel (1985) University of Alberta Press. (Text in French and English) ISBN 0888640919
- Toil And Trouble: Military Expeditions To Red River (1989) Dundurn Press Ltd. ISBN 1550020595
- The Role of the Lieutenant-Governor: A Seminar (1992).
External Links
- Birth of the Canadian Flag (http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/cpsc-ccsp/sc-cs/df3_e.cfm)
- Col. the Hon. George F.G. Stanley (1907-2002) (http://www.stfx.ca/people/lstanley/stanley/)
- The Story of Canada's Flag; A Historical Sketch (1965) (http://www.stfx.ca/people/lstanley/stanley/flagbook/)
- One Single Leaf: The Ballad of George Stanley (http://homepage.mac.com/lisasongs/Personal9.html)
| Preceded by: Hédard Robichaud | Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick 1981-1987 | Succeeded by: Gilbert Finn |