John George Diefenbaker

John George Diefenbaker , 1895-1979, Canadian political leader. Elected to Parliament (1940), he succeeded George Drew as leader of the Progressive Conservative party (1956), and (1957) succeeded Liberal Louis St. Laurent as prime minister, although his party failed to win a clear-cut majority. In 1958 his party captured more than 75% of the parliamentary seats in the most overwhelming Conservative victory of the century. The Conservatives, however, lost their majority in the 1962 elections, and early in 1963 the Diefenbaker government fell. Diefenbaker was leader of the opposition (1963-67); he continued to sit in Parliament after he was replaced as Conservative leader.

Diefenbaker, John George (1895–1979) Canadian statesman. He served as leader of the Progressive Conservative Party (1956–67) and Prime Minister of Canada (1957–63). He introduced some important measures of social reform and sought to encourage economic development, but as Canada experienced increasing economic difficulties in the early 1960s he was forced to devalue the Canadian dollar. In foreign affairs Diefenbaker wished to reduce Canada's dependence on the USA, but his party lost the election of 1963 when he took issue with the USA over the arming with atomic warheads of missiles supplied to Canada.