Diefenbaker Web: Links and information about Canada's 13th Prime Minister

[Diefenbaker Web: Links and information on the 13th Prime Minister of Canada.]

"I am a Canadian,
free to speak without fear,
free to worship in my own way,
free to stand for what I think right,
free to oppose what I believe wrong,
or free to choose those
who shall govern my country.
This heritage of freedom
I pledge to uphold
for myself and all mankind."

From the Canadian Bill of Rights,
July 1, 1960.

This is NOT a page about Diefenbaker, the dog from Due South. For more information on that Diefenbaker, try this profile on the dog.

A quick biography

John George Diefenbaker was born on September 18, 1895 in Neustadt, Ontario to William and Mary (Bannerman). He was prime minister of Canada as a Progressive Conservative from June 21, 1957 to April 22, 1963. Although he spent less than six years as Prime Minister, he spent many years in the Opposition, keeping his opponents on their toes.

He was married twice, to Edna Brower, then after her death, Olive Palmer. He had no children.

When he died on August 16, 1979, according to his funeral plans his body was shipped from Ottawa to Saskatoon by train for burial. Thousands of Canadians lined the tracks to bid farewell to Dief.

For more biographical information on Diefenbaker, read the Canoe Biography, or the Diefenbaker Centre biography. Try also these lists of dates in Diefenbaker's life and term as PM, as well as this book list.

The Diefenbaker Centre

Back in 1998, Diefenbaker Web visited the Diefenbaker Centre in Saskatoon. We've put our photos online, and you can take our exclusive behind-the-scenes tour to learn more about Dief's political and private life — from photos of his office to his hat collection.

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More info

This site indexes any Diefenbaker-related material found online. I've tried to group them into the categories listed on the right and at the bottom of your screen. If you've found a page that isn't listed here, please let me know about it.

Some pictures and articles from newspapers, magazines, and books have been scanned in as well. These pictures are in the public domain, and where appropriate the authors have been attributed. If you have any concerns about copyright violations, please e-mail the webmaster at dief@ottawastart.com.

Site last updated: December 18, 2000

Dief Pick: [Dief's head]

See a picture of the Diefenbuck, Canada's 92.5 cent dollar.

—John Diefenbaker

Diefenbaker Web
is published by
Glen Gower.