Maryon Pearson

Maryon Elspeth Pearson, née Moody (1901 – December 26, 1989) was the wife of Lester Bowles Pearson, the 14th Prime Minister of Canada.

Maryon 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.^[1] 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."

It was reportedly also at Maryon Pearson's behest that the practice of curtseying to the Governor General and his consort was discontinued — apparently because Maryon refused to act deferentially toward her old friend Norah Michener.^[2]

Children

They had one son, Geoffrey, and one daughter, Patricia. Geoffrey was married to former Canadian Senator Landon Pearson. Geoffrey and Landon Pearson's daughter is USA Today journalist Patricia Pearson (not to be confused with her aunt, of the same name, who did not maintain a public career).

References

1. ^ English, John. Shadow of Heaven: The Life of Lester Pearson. Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys, 1989 (ISBN 0-88619-169-6).
2. ^ "Who is the Governor General? Roland Michener and Jules Léger". The Idler, March 1, 1990.

Honorary titles
Preceded by Olive Freeman Diefenbaker	Spouse of the Prime Minister of Canada 1963-1968	Succeeded by Margaret Sinclair Trudeau

Persondata
Name	Pearson, Maryon
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1901
Place of birth
Date of death	December 26, 1989
Place of death