ADRIENNE CLARCKSON

Adrienne Clarckson

Adrienne Clarckson

Adrienne Louise Clarkson (née Adrienne Louise Poy, 10 February 1939) is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since that country's Confederation. She was appointed as such by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on the recommendation of then Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chrétien, to replace Roméo LeBlanc as viceroy, with the official announcement of the selection made on 8 September 1999. Clarkson's investiture took place on 7 October of the same year, and she occupied the viceregal post until succeeded by Michaëlle Jean on 27 September 2005.

Clarkson is a refugee from Hong Kong, coming with her family to Canada in 1941 to settle and be raised in Ottawa, Ontario. After receiving a number of university degrees, Clarkson worked as a producer and broadcaster for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and as a journalist for various magazines. Her first diplomatic postings came in the early 1980s, when she promoted Ontario culture in France and other European countries. While her appointment as the Canadian viceroy was generally welcomed at first, Clarkson caused some controversy during her time serving as the Queen's representative, mostly due to costs incurred in the operation of her office, as well as a somewhat anti-monarchist attitude towards the position.

On 3 October 2005, Clarkson was sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada,[2] giving her the accordant style of The Honourable; however, as a former Governor General of Canada, Clarkson is entitled to be styled for life with the superior form of The Right Honourable.

After being introduced by a college friend in 1964 to the producers of Take 30 — an afternoon variety show run by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) — Clarkson was hired by the Crown corporation as a freelance book reviewer. This marked the start of her nearly 20 year career with the CBC, as, after less than a year in her initial position, Clarkson was promoted to co-host, thus becoming one of the first members of a visible minority to obtain a prominent position on Canadian television. She remained with Take Thirty for a decade, while also branching into print journalism by becoming a regular contributor to such publications as Maclean's and Chatelaine. Similarly, Clarkson wrote and published her own romantic fiction novels: A Lover More Condoling in 1968, and Hunger Trace in 1970. Beyond these, her non-fiction book True to You in My Fashion: A Woman Talks to Men About Marriage — a collection of interviews with men on the subject of divorce — was published in 1971, during which time her first marriage had hit a hard patch.

In 1974, Clarkson began her own public affairs television show Adrienne at Large, though this was not particularly successful and lasted less than four months. The series did, however, allow her to travel extensively outside of Canada, as she recorded segments for the show in locations such as South Africa (where she interviewed Nadine Gordimer and Helen Suzman), and her native Hong ...