People

George Stanley

A noted Canadian historian and a former lieutenant governor of New Brunswick, George F.G. Stanley 1929 BA, 1971 LLD (Honorary), has made a singular contribution to Canadian identity as the designer of Canada's distinctive maple leaf flag.

Stanley earned his BA at the University of Alberta in 1929 before studying at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Upon his return to Canada, he became History Department Head at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. In 1949, he became Head of History at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, where he taught for 20 years before returning to Mount Allison as Director of the Canadian Studies Program, the first undergraduate program of its kind in the country.

During his time in academia, Stanley pioneered the study of Western Canadian history and published fifteen books, including the seminal The Birth of Western Canada: a History of the Riel Rebellions in 1936, and his lifelong work, a biography of Louis Riel in 1969. In recognition of his standing as an historian, he has been honoured as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

In 1982, Stanley was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick.

Among the many honours bestowed on Stanley are twelve honorary degrees as well as being made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1976 and a Knight of Justice of the Order of St John.

In spite of his academic accomplishments, Stanley will most likely be remembered as the designer of Canada's flag, which first flew in 1965. Based on his belief that the flag should be simple - something a child could easily remember and draw - in 1964 Stanley provided a sketch to the parliamentary flag committee that incorporated Canada's official symbol and colours, red and white.

For his wide-ranging contributions to understanding the Canadian identity, George Stanley was invested as a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1994, and in 1998 he was a recipient of the University of Alberta Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award.

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