Maryon Pearson
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Maryon Pearson (born 1901, Winnipeg, Manitoba - died December 26, 1989, Toronto, Ontario) was the wife of Lester Bowles Pearson, the 14th Prime Minister of Canada.
Born as Maryon Elspeth Moody, she and Lester Pearson married on August 22, 1925. They met at the University of Toronto, where he was a teacher and she was a student.
Maryon Pearson was also known for her sharp tongued wit. John English in his biography, Shadow of Heaven: The Life of Lester Pearson, devoted a full chapter to the subject of Mrs. Pearson's prickly personality. Among her most famous quotations:
- "Behind every successful man, there stands a surprised woman."
- [On the retired former prime minister's greater time at home]: "I married him for better or worse. I didn't marry him for lunch."
- [On being asked during an election campaign by a reporter, "Is there anything you'd like to bring up, Mrs. Pearson?"] "Yes, three doughnuts and six cups of coffee."
- "We lost everything. We even won our own constituency."
- "The big problem is to find suitable hats. I don't care for them all that much, but you have to wear them in politics."
See also: Spouses of the Prime Ministers of Canada.
[edit] Children
They had one son, Geoffrey, and one daughter, Patricia. Geoffrey is married to former Canadian Senator Landon Pearson. Geoffrey and Landon Pearson's daughter is National Post journalist Patricia Pearson (not to be confused with her aunt, of the same name, who did not maintain a public career).
[edit] References
English, John. Shadow of Heaven: The Life of Lester Pearson. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys, 1989 (ISBN 0-88619-169-6).
| Preceded by Olive Freeman Diefenbaker |
Spouse of the Prime Minister of Canada 1963-1968 |
Succeeded by Margaret Sinclair Trudeau |
