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Andrew McNaughton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
General Andrew George Latta McNaughton, CH, CB, CMG, DSO, CD, PC (February 25, 1887 - July 11, 1966) was a Canadian army officer, politician and diplomat.
Born in Moosomin, Saskatchewan (at the time in the Northwest Territories), McNaughton was a student at Bishop's College School in Lennoxville, Quebec. He earned a B.A. from McGill University in Montreal in 1910 and an M.Sc. in 1912. He enlisted in the militia in 1909 and went to Europe with the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. While there he helped make advances in the science of artillery, and was wounded twice. By the end of the war he was in command of all of the Canadian Corps artillery. In 1920 he enlisted in the regular army and became Chief of the General Staff in 1929. In that position, he terminated Defence Scheme No. 1. In 1935 he became president of the National Research Council of Canada.
In 1939 he led the Canadian army into World War II, and was originally considered for the position of Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force until the Americans threatened to withdraw from the war unless General Dwight D. Eisenhower was chosen. But despite his scientific capabilities he was blamed for the disastrous Dieppe Raid in 1942. The British generals frequently criticized him, and his support for voluntary enlistment rather than conscription led to conflict with James Ralston, the Minister of National Defence. McNaughton resigned his command in 1943.
Because of his support for a volunteer army, McNaughton remained friendly with Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, who wanted to make him the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada. Instead, McNaughton became Minister of National Defence when Ralston was forced to resign after the Conscription Crisis of 1944, as King did all he could to avoid introducing conscription. McNaughton was soon pressured into calling for conscription despite King's wishes, a popular move for some Canadians but an equally unpopular one for many others. McNaughton was unable to win a seat in Parliament and resigned in 1945.
After the war he served on the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission and as Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations, as well as many other international committees, until his death in 1966.
- His grandson Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie is Chief of the Land Staff of the Canadian Forces.
- The only high school in Moosomin, Saskatchewan, is named McNaughton High School, after General McNaughton.
- National Research Council Building M50 on the Ottawa Campus was named the McNaughton Building, his bust still greets those who enter.
- The Canadian Pipe Mine was also known as the McNaughton Tube.
- The McNaughton Barracks at Canadian Forces Base Kingston, Ontario is named in his honour.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Herbert Cyril Thacker |
Chief of the General Staff 1929-1935 |
Succeeded by Ernest Charles Ashton |
| Preceded by position created |
Commanding Officer, 1st Canadian Army 1942-1943 |
Succeeded by Harry Crerar |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by position created |
Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations January, 1948 - December, 1949 |
Succeeded by John W. Holmes |
Categories: 1887 births | 1966 deaths | Liberal candidates in the 1945 Canadian federal election | Canadian military personnel of World War II | Canadian diplomats | Canadian generals | Canadian military personnel of World War I | Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour | Companions of the Distinguished Service Order | Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George | Companions of the Order of the Bath | Canadian ambassadors to the United Nations | Members of the 16th Ministry in Canada | Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada | McGill University alumni | People from Saskatchewan