Michener was the first former MP to become governor general and served during Canada’s centennial year of 1967. He inaugurated the Order of Canada and was a champion of sport and fitness.
He grew up in the city of Red Deer, where his father was mayor and then a member of the provincial legislature for Red Deer (Edward Michener would lead Alberta’s official opposition Conservatives from 1910-17, and was a senator from Alberta from 1918-47).
Roland studied at the University of Alberta, where he graduated in 1920 with a bachelor of arts. He then attended Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar. At Oxford, he met and became a hockey teammate and lifelong friend to Lester B. Pearson, who would go on to become prime minister. After studying law at Oxford, Michener returned to Canada and started practicing law in Toronto in 1924.
He first ran for political office in 1943 as a Conservative candidate for the Ontario legislature, but was defeated. He tried again in 1945 and won the Toronto riding of St. David, serving as a member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) until 1948. This included several years in the Cabinet of Ontario Premier George Drew. In 1949, Michener entered federal politics. He failed in his first attempt, but was elected in 1953 as the Progressive Conservative member of Parliament (MP) for Toronto St. Paul's, which he represented until 1962.
In July 1964, Pearson appointed Michener high commissioner to India and, six months later, the first Canadian ambassador to Nepal. He served both roles until 1967. After the sudden death of much-loved Governor General Georges Vanier in 1967, Michener was appointed to the post.
After his term as governor general ended in 1974, the Micheners moved to Toronto where he continued to practice law and became a corporate director. He served as chancellor of Queen's University from 1974 until 1980, and became secretary general of the Rhodes Foundation, the organization that awards Rhodes scholarships.
Michener died on 6 August 1991. His ashes and those of his wife, who predeceased him in 1987, are interred at St. Bartholomew’s Anglican Church in Ottawa, across Sussex Drive from Rideau Hall.
From the Canadian Encyclopedia
Roland Michener House
The Michener House was built in 1894 as the Village of Lacombe Methodist Church Parsonage. Today it is historically significant as the birthplace of Right Honourable Roland Michener, former Governor General of Canada, and as the parsonage of his father, Edward. The house is also historically significant as one of the oldest remaining buildings in Lacombe, and illustrates the important first phase of the town's development. The Michener House is a modest example of typical turn-of-the-century frame building construction.
After the departure of the Michener family, the house passed to successive ministers, was expanded with an addition to the rear in 1918 and subsequently converted for use as a church hall. The church was also used as a hall after the congregation joined with that of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Lacombe to form St. Andrew's United Church in 1922. In later years the church saw service as the Lacombe's Boy Scout Hall, and was finally demolished in 1984.
The Michener House was declared a Provincial Historic Site in 1977 and was restored to its original appearance prior to opening as the Michener House Museum in 1984.
The Michener House Museum displays items from Roland Michener's personal and family collections, furnishings from the turn of the century, the original pump organ from Grace Methodist Church, in addition to the bed that Roland Michener was born in.
The Archives preserve the Michener legacy as well as documents, photographs, and artifacts significant to the Lacombe region and its history. The documents and photographs are accessible to the public by appointment. Digital copies of archival photographs can be obtained at a cost of $10/ each. Please contact the office for more information at (403) 782-3933.
At the Museum we offer free guided tours and programming for school and community groups. Outside in our lovely garden, we have picnic tables and outdoor space for activities during the summer.
From Michener House Museum & Archives