Edna Diefenbaker

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Edna Diefenbaker
Personal details
Born
Edna May Brower

(1899-11-30)November 30, 1899
Wawanesa, Manitoba, Canada
DiedFebruary 7, 1951(1951-02-07) (aged 51)
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1929)​

Edna May Diefenbaker (née Brower; November 30, 1899 – February 7, 1951) was the first wife of the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, John Diefenbaker.

Early life[]

She was born in Wawanesa, Manitoba, and worked as a schoolteacher at Mayfair Elementary School in Saskatoon before marrying John Diefenbaker in 1929.[1] Outgoing and vivacious, with a genuine concern for others, she was thought[by whom?] to be a popular teacher.[citation needed]

Political life[]

Her marriage brought an end to her teaching career, and Diefenbaker devoted her energies to the advancement of her husband's political career. She would visit towns before her husband so that he was prepared with information on the inhabitants.[2] She also edited her husband's speeches, and often acted as chauffeur, driving him to meetings. Perhaps most importantly, she helped him to overcome his shyness and develop into a "man of the people", which would help him in his future political successes.

Upon her husband's election as a Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament Diefenbaker worked on his behalf in an unpaid capacity. She was a constant presence in the visitor's gallery in the House of Commons of Canada, and played an important role in establishing close relationships between her husband and reporters in the Ottawa press gallery.[3]

Death[]

She died of leukemia in 1951, six years before her husband became Prime Minister. MPs in the House of Commons of Canada gave her "unprecedented eulogies" for a non-MP.[1] John Diefenbaker later married Olive Palmer, his wife during his term as Prime Minister. Edna Diefenbaker is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Legacy[]

In 1982, Diefenbaker became the focus of Simma Holt's book The Other Mrs. Diefenbaker. Author Heather Robertson also wrote on her and other spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada in the 1991 book More Than a Rose.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Smith, Denis (2016). "Diefenbaker, John George". In Cook, Ramsay; Bélanger, Réal (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. XX (1971–1980) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Jim Romahn, "Author paints colorful portrait of PMs, their wives and lovers," Kitchener – Waterloo Record, Kitchener, Ontario: November 16, 1991. pg. E.8.
  3. ^ Denis Smith, Rogue Tory: The Life and Legend of John G. Diefenbaker. Toronto: Macfarlane Walter & Ross, 1995, pp. 111–112.
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