Hugh Keenleyside

Hugh Keenleyside

Also known as H.L. Keenleyside. Hugh Llewellyn Keenleyside (born July 7, 1898 in Toronto, Ontario; died September 27, 1992 in Victoria, BC) was an academic, diplomat, and civil servant. Having joined the Department of External Affairs in 1928, Keenleyside helped to open Canada’s first legation in Japan from 1929-1936; serving as a special assistant to the Prime Minister during World War II, he was one of the few people within the Canadian government who strongly protested the treatment of Japanese Canadians and their property. In his later career in public service, he was ambassador to Mexico from 1944-48, commissioner of the Northwest Territories from 1947-50, and director-general of the UN Technical Assistance Administration from 1950-1958. (Source: Kimura Appendix)

Metadata

SurnameKeenleyside
ForenameHugh
AddNameLlewellyn
Regularized NameHugh Keenleyside
Credits
Interviewee

Terminology

Readers of these historical materials will encounter derogatory references to Japanese Canadians and euphemisms used to obscure the intent and impacts of the internment and dispossession. While these are important realities of the history, the Landscapes of Injustice Research Collective urges users to carefully consider their own terminological choices in writing and speaking about this topic today as we confront past injustice. See our statement on terminology, and related sources here.