- Sherwood Lett
Sherwood Lett, C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C., E.D., K.C., B.A., LL.D., (
1 August 1895 –2 July 1964 ) was a Canadian soldier, lawyer, diplomat, and jurist.Early life
Born in
Iroquois, Ontario , he came to British Columbia in his early years. He started his education at the McGill University College of British Columbia which became theUniversity of British Columbia . In 1915, he became the first President of the Alma Mater Society. He received aBachelor of Arts degree in 1916. He was married to Evelyn Story.World War I
During
World War I , he served with theIrish Fusiliers of Canada in theCanadian Expeditionary Force and was wounded in 1918. He was awarded the Military Cross.Between the wars
In 1919, he was awarded a
Rhodes Scholarship and he received a Bachelor of Arts in jurisprudence atOxford University . In 1923, he joined the law firm ofDavis & Company where he practiced corporate and taxation law. He would remain at the firm until 1963. He was a member of the Senate of the University of British Columbia from 1924 to 1957 and a member of the Board of Governors from 1935 to 1940 and from 1951 to 1957.World War II
In 1939, he rejoined the
Canadian Army as a Brigadier and was the Commanding Officer of the South Saskatchewan Regiment in England in 1941. In 1942, he was the Commanding Officer of the 4th Canadian Infantry Brigade which fought atThe Battle of Dieppe . During this campaign he was wounded and received the Distinguished Service Order. After recovering, from 1943 to 1944, he was the Deputy Chief of the General Staff. In 1944, he resumed command of the 4th Canadian Brigade and took part in theD-Day landing in Normandy where he was wounded. He was later made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.Post-war
After the war, he re-joined his law practice at Davis & Company. In 1954, he became the head of the Canadian group on the
International Control Commission , the international force established in 1954 that oversaw the implementation of the Geneva Accords that ended theFirst Indochina War with the Partition of Vietnam. His deputy wasSaul Rae . In 1963, he was appointed Chief Justice of theSupreme Court of British Columbia . He served until his death in 1964.From 1951 to 1957, he was the Chancellor of the University of British Columbia. He was awarded an honorary LL.D from the University of British Columbia in 1945.
Prime Minister
Lester Pearson said of him, "I know of no Canadian who has served his country in war and peace with greater distinction and more unselfishly."References
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External links
* [http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0004650 Sherwood Lett] at
The Canadian Encyclopedia
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