Timothy Porteous
Timothy Porteous | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 31, 1933 |
| Died | February 11, 2020 (aged 86) |
| Alma mater | McGill University |
| Occupation | administrator |
John Timothy Irvine Porteous, CM (August 31, 1933 – February 11, 2020) was a Canadian administrator.
Student days
[edit]A native of Montreal, he studied at Bishop's College School, Selwyn House School[1] and McGill University, where he earned both a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of civil law.[2] Porteous first met Pierre Trudeau in 1957 when the two were students traveling in West Africa for a World University Service of Canada seminar, for which Porteous represented McGill, where he had previously been responsible for the outstanding 1957 student production of My Fur Lady, which he co-wrote.
Early career
[edit]He and Trudeau remained friends and became even closer when Porteous took a two-year leave of absence from his law practice in 1966 and went to Ottawa to work as an executive assistant to Treasury Board president Charles Drury, before volunteering as a speechwriter on Trudeau's 1968 leadership campaign.
He is credited with introducing Trudeau to Margaret Sinclair, who Trudeau later married.[3]
When Trudeau won the Liberal Party leadership campaign, on becoming Prime Minister later in 1968 he offered Porteous a job as his executive assistant, a position he held for five years.[4] After his time in government, Porteous went on to head both the Canada Council and the Ontario College of Art and Design.
Canada Council
[edit]Porteous was perhaps best known for his 12-year tenure as associate director and director of the Canada Council.[5] He was appointed to be a Member of the Order of Canada in October 2003, in recognition of his public service.
References
[edit]- Porteous, Barry. The Porteous Story, (Kingston, Ontario, published privately 1975)
- ^ Selwyn House School Yearbook 1960
- ^ OBITUARY: John Timothy Irvine Porteous ’48
- ^ "Canada Council head Timothy Porteous fought fiercely for its independence". The Globe and Mail. 2020-03-08. Archived from the original on 2022-01-31.
- ^ Goodman, Lee-Anne (8 December 2008). "Winnipeg Free Press Newspaper Archives, Dec 8, 2008, p. 8". NewspaperArchive.com.
- ^ Gill, Alexandra (March 23, 2002). "Nixon's bushy-haired 'bastard' bites back". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 6 September 2018.