Graydon Nicholas

Graydon Nicholas CM ONB (born 1946, Maliseet) is an attorney, judge, and politician who served as the appointed 30th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick (2009-2014). He is the first Aboriginal person to hold the office, the first to be appointed as a provincial court judge (in 1991), and the first in Atlantic Canada to obtain a law degree.

The Honourable

Graydon Nicholas

CM ONB
30th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
In office
30 September 2009 – 23 October 2014
MonarchElizabeth II
Governor GeneralMichaëlle Jean
David Johnston
PremierShawn Graham
David Alward
Brian Gallant
Preceded byHerménégilde Chiasson
Succeeded byJocelyne Roy-Vienneau
Personal details
Born1946 (age 74–75)[1]
Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick
ProfessionJudge

Early life and education

Graydon Nicholas was born into a Maliseet family on the Tobique First Nations Reserve. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from St. Francis Xavier University and, in 1971, a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of New Brunswick. He was the first First Nations person in Atlantic Canada to earn a law degree. He also obtained a Master of Social Work degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1974.

Career

Returning to New Brunswick, Nicholas worked for the Union of New Brunswick Indians, serving as its chairman of the board (1976–1980) and president (1980–1988). Selected as chair of the Native Studies program at St. Thomas University, he has lectured part time.[2]

Nicholas was appointed as a provincial court judge in 1991, the first aboriginal to be selected for the position. He has worked for justice for First Nations and other peoples, particularly in the area of logging rights.[3] During this period, he also lectured in theology at the Vancouver School of Theology and the Native Ministries Consortium program.[2]

In September 2009, Nicholas was appointed as the next Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on the suggestion of Premier Shawn Graham with support from the opposition. He was the first Aboriginal named to this position.[3] He served a five-year term. He succeeded Herménégilde Chiasson, the poet and philosopher, on September 30, 2009.[4]

Honours

See also

References
  1. "ParlInfo". Parl.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  2. Lorraine Snyder, "Graydon Nicholas", The Canadian Encyclopedia, 16 December 2013, accessed 6 July 2015
  3. "Graydon Nicholas named N.B.'s next lieutenant-governor", CBC News, 10 September 2009 Archived September 14, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "N.B. lieutenant-governor's term extended", CBC News, April 28, 2008. Archived August 13, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Olympians, jurists, researchers among 113 new appointments to Order of Canada". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
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