Jeanne Sauve: The First Female Governor General of Canada

Previously published in Examiner

Part 1 of the Jeanne Sauve Series

The Early Years of Jeanne Sauve: First Female Governor General of Canada

The first Female Governor General of Canada happened to be a French Canadian. Jeanne Mathilde Benoit was born in Fransaskois, a small community of Prud'homme, Saskachewan. Three years later, the family moved to Ottawa. As a young child, Jeanne Sauve was influenced by the bronze statute on Parliament Hill of Canada's first female of Parliament, Agnes MacPhail. During her formative years, Jeanne Sauve attended Notre Dame du Rosaire Convent in Ottawa. She was a bright student and the head of her class. She then did her post secondary studies at the University of Ottawa. She paid her tuition by working as a translator for the Government of Canada.

Jeanne Sauve was involved in student politics in University and at the age of 20, she became the national president of the Young Catholic Students Group. To be active in this group, she had to move to Montreal in 1942. She met her husband, Maurice Sauve in Montreal and married in 1948. The couple then moved to London so that Maurice could attend the London School of Economics. Jeanne worked as a private tutor and teacher during that period in time. They stayed in London for two years and then went to France. Jeanne was employed in France as the assistant to the director of the Youth Secretariat at UNESCO. She also completed one year of study in French Civilization at La Sorbonne in 1952.

The Sauves' returned to Ste-Hyacinthe, not far from Montreal, at the end of 1952. In 1959, their only child, Jean-Francois was born. Jeanne Sauve was a founding member for the Institute of Political Research. Sauve became a journalist for Radio- Canada, the french broadcasting division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Her first program, Femina, was such a success that Sauve was promoted to CBC Television, where she was able to cover political topics in English and French. She became very popular. She was often invited by Gerard Pelletier, a journalist for Le Devoir in Montreal, to his controversial show at the time called Les Id©es en Marche .

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Sauv%C3%A9