Léo Richer Laflèche

Léo Richer La Flèche, PC DSO (April 16, 1888 – March 7, 1956) was a Canadian general, civil servant, diplomat, and politician.

Léo Richer La Flèche PC DSO
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Outremont
In office 1942–1945
Preceded by	Thomas Vien
Succeeded by	Édouard Rinfret
Personal details
Born	(1888-04-16)April 16, 1888 Concordia, Kansas, United States
Died	March 7, 1956(1956-03-07) (aged 67) Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Jane Richer La Flèche (Jane Brady)
Children	Denyse, François, Jean, Paul, Pierre
Occupation	Major General, Civil Servant, Diplomat, Politician
Cabinet	Minister of National War Services (1942-1945)
Military service
Rank	Major general
Unit	22nd Battalion, CEF

Léo Richer La Flèche was born in Concordia, Kansas, on April 16, 1888. The same year, with his parents, Léo moved to Sorel, Quebec, because of his father's work in Ottawa as a civil servant. Leo managed the Molson Bank in Ville St-Pierre until the outbreak of the First World War.[1] He served with the Royal 22nd Battalion, CEF, during World War I, as an infantry officer, where he was severely wounded. In one instance, on June 17, 1916, a soldier in Léo's battalion noticed him lying in a field, left for dead. The soldier and four of his comrades transported the dying Léo on a stretcher as they crossed a battlefield under German artillery fire. The General in charge spotted the heroic act and as a result, the five soldiers were each awarded a Military Medal.[1] In 1917, Léo was awarded the Distinguished Service Order and the Légion d'honneur of France for his service. He later became a lieutenant-colonel commanding the District Depot No. 4, Montreal which consisted of roughly 70,000 men. He would achieve the rank of major general.[2] He co-founded the Canadian Legion in 1925 and became dominion president of the Canadian Legion in 1929.[3] From 1932 to 1939, he was Deputy Minister of National Defence, Vice-Chairman Defence Council and briefly served as military attaché to Paris before the German invasion.[4]

From 1940 to 1942, he was the associate deputy minister of War Services and was chairman of the National Film Board from 1941 to 1943.[5] In 1941, he received an honorary LL.D. from the University of Ottawa.[6]

He was elected as the Liberal candidate to the House of Commons of Canada for the Quebec electoral district of Outremont in a by-election on November 30, 1942, called after the MP at the time, Thomas Vien, resigned. He defeated future mayor of Montreal Jean Drapeau who was running for the Bloc Populaire.[7] Later that year, Prime minister Mackenzie King named him Minister of National War Services, a post he kept until he became the first Canadian ambassador to Greece on April 17, 1945, a post he kept until 1949.[8]

On October 20, 1949, he presented his credentials to the governor general of Australia as the new high commissioner of Canada. On August 19, 1952, he also held this position in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as he officially took his post as the Canadian ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in charge of the diplomatic relations with neighbouring Uruguay.[9] He returned to Canada in 1955. He died the next year at the age of 67. His grave is in the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery of Montreal.[10]

References

2. Léo Richer Laflèche – Parliament of Canada biography
5. "National Film Board fonds: Office of the Chairman". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2006-08-20.
6. "Honorary Doctorates". University of Ottawa.
7. "History of Federal Ridings".
8. http://rogiciel-pro-vision.com/patrimoine-militaire-le-major-j-r-lafleche-par-louise-pelletier/
9. "Heads of Post List". Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
10. Répertoire des personnages inhumés au cimetière ayant marqué l'histoire de notre société (in French). Montreal: Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery.

External links

• Léo Richer Laflèche at Find a Grave

Non-profit organization positions
Preceded by Arthur Currie	President of the Royal Canadian Legion 1929–1931	Succeeded by John Roper
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by John Kennett Starnes	Canadian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Greece 1945–1949	Succeeded by George Loranger Magann
Preceded by Kenneth Alfred Greene	Canadian High Commissioner to Australia 1949–1950	Succeeded by Carman Millward Croft
Preceded by Lionel Victor Joseph Roy	Canadian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Argentina 1952–1955	Succeeded by Louis Phillippe Picard
New office	Canadian Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Uruguay 1952–1955	Succeeded by Fulgence Charpentier