https://wiki.sarg.dev/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=99.225.121.26Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]2026-11-03T04:52:56ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.44.2https://wiki.sarg.dev/index.php?title=John_de_Chastelain&diff=283699John de Chastelain2025-04-03T23:40:17Z<p>99.225.121.26: Re-arrange post-nominals to correctly reflect Order of Precedence</p>
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<div>{{Short description|Canadian diplomat and soldier}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}<br />
{{Infobox officeholder<br />
| honorific-prefix = [[General (Canada)|General]]<br />
| name = John de Chastelain<br />
| honorific-suffix ={{post-nominals|country=CAN| CC | CMM | CD | CH | size=100%}}<br />
| image =<br />
| imagesize =<br />
| office = Chairman of the [[Independent International Commission on Decommissioning]]<br />
| term_start = 1997<br />
| term_end = 2011<br />
| predecessor =<br />
| successor =<br />
| office2 = [[#External links|More...]]<br />
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1937|07|30}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Bucharest]], Kingdom of Romania<br />
| spouse = Mary Ann (''née'' Laverty)<br />
| children = 2<br />
| alma_mater = {{ubl|[[Royal Military College of Canada]]|[[Mount Royal University]]}}<br />
| allegiance = Canada<br />
| branch = [[Land Force Command]]<br />
| serviceyears = 1956–1995<br />
| rank = [[General officer|General]]<br />
| unit = {{ubl|[[Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry]]|[[The Calgary Highlanders]]}}<br />
| commands ={{indented plainlist|<br />
* 2nd Battalion, [[Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry|PPCLI]]<br />
* [[CFB Montreal]]<br />
* [[Royal Military College of Canada|Royal Military College]]<br />
* [[4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group]]<br />
* [[Canadian Armed Forces]]<br />
}}<br />
| battles ={{ubl|[[October Crisis]]|[[Oka Crisis]]}}<br />
| awards= {{indented plainlist|<br />
* [[Order of the Companions of Honour]] (Member)<br />
* [[Order of Canada]] (Companion)<br />
* [[Legion of Merit]] (Commander)<br />
* [[Order of Military Merit (Canada)|Order of Military Merit (Commander)]]<br />
* [[Venerable Order of Saint John|Order of St. John (Commander)]]<br />
* [[Canadian Forces' Decoration]]<br />
}}<br />
}}<br />
'''Alfred John Gardyne Drummond de Chastelain''' {{postnominals|country=CAN|CC|CMM|CD|CH}} (born 30 July 1937) is a Canadian retired army officer and diplomat.<br />
<br />
De Chastelain was born in Romania to Scottish and American parents and was educated in England and Scotland before his family emigrated to Canada in 1954. There, de Chastelain became a Militia private and enrolled in the [[Royal Military College of Canada]], going on to pursue a career in the [[Canadian Army]]. He was commissioned into [[Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry]] and rose eventually to be twice [[Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)|Chief of the Defence Staff]], with a break of a year during which he served as [[List of Canadian ambassadors to the United States|Canada's ambassador to the United States]]. In 1995, de Chastelain became active in the [[Northern Ireland peace process]] and eventually focused on the disarmament of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.<br />
<br />
==Early life and education==<br />
De Chastelain was born in 1937 in [[Bucharest]], Romania, to [[Alfred Gardyne de Chastelain]], a Scottish oil engineer then working in Bucharest for [[Anglo-Iranian Oil Company|British Petroleum]], (later an agent of SOE) and [[Marion Elizabeth (Walsh) de Chastelain|Marion Elizabeth de Chastelain]], an American. He was educated in England and later at [[Fettes College]], Edinburgh. The de Chastelain family emigrated to Canada in 1954, and a year later, after finishing his education at Fettes College, De Chastelain joined his family and attended Mount Royal College (now [[Mount Royal University]]) in [[Calgary]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mtroyal.ca/AboutMountRoyal/MediaRoom/Newsroom/john-de-chastelain-peace.htm|title=Retired General John de Chastelain becomes namesake of Mount Royal's Peace Studies Initiative|access-date=26 April 2021|archive-date=26 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426055215/https://www.mtroyal.ca/AboutMountRoyal/MediaRoom/Newsroom/john-de-chastelain-peace.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> He married Mary Ann Laverty.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/07/05/imported-anecdotes/bbf3bc01-c658-45a8-82e8-2be9c9554a70/|title=Imported anecdotes|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=5 July 1993|access-date=4 July 2019|archive-date=4 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704110542/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1993/07/05/imported-anecdotes/bbf3bc01-c658-45a8-82e8-2be9c9554a70/|url-status=live}}</ref><br />
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==Military==<br />
[[File:Cdsdechastelain.jpg|thumb|right|220px|On parade with The [[Calgary Highlanders]] on 30 June 1990; General de Chastelain (top left)]]<br />
De Chastelain started his military career as a Militia private in the [[Calgary Highlanders]] in which he served from January to September 1956.<ref name=roads>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalroads.ca/news-events/convocation/awards/john-de-chastelain|title=John de Chastelain|publisher=Royal Roads University|access-date=4 July 2019|archive-date=4 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704103255/http://www.royalroads.ca/news-events/convocation/awards/john-de-chastelain|url-status=live}}</ref> He was enrolled in the [[Royal Military College of Canada]] in September 1956 and graduated in 1960 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a commission in [[Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry]] (PPCLI), two years before he became a [[naturalization|naturalized]] Canadian. Performing regimental duty in Canada, Germany, and Cyprus, de Chastelain subsequently attended the [[British Army]] [[Staff College, Camberley|staff college in Camberley]] in 1966 and was commanding officer of the Second Battalion PPCLI from 1970 to 1972.<ref name=ppcli>{{cite web|url=https://ppcli.com/general-a-j-g-d-de-chastelain-cc-cmm-cd-ch/|title=General A.J.G.D. de Chastelain, CC, CMM, CD, CH|publisher=Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry|access-date=4 July 2019|archive-date=4 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704104656/https://ppcli.com/general-a-j-g-d-de-chastelain-cc-cmm-cd-ch/|url-status=live}}</ref><br />
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As a colonel, he commanded [[CFB Montreal]] for a two-year period ending with the [[1976 Summer Olympics]] in [[Montreal|that city]]. He was also Deputy Chief of Staff of the United Nations Force in Cyprus ([[UNFICYP]]) and Commander of the Canadian contingent there. As a brigadier-general, he successively became Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada in 1977,<ref name=roads/> Commander of [[4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group]] in [[Lahr]], Germany in 1980 and Director General Land Doctrine and Operations at [[Department of National Defence Headquarters (Canada)|National Defence Headquarters]] in Ottawa, Ontario in 1982.<ref name=ppcli/><br />
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As a major-general, de Chastelain was Deputy Commander of the [[Canadian Army]] (then called Mobile Command) and Commander of the Mobile Command Division, which was exercised as such in 1985 on Exercise RV '85. As a lieutenant-general, he became Assistant Deputy Minister for Personnel in 1986<ref name=roads/> and then [[Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)|Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff]] in 1988.<ref name=roads/> In 1989, he was promoted to the rank of general and appointed [[Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)|Chief of the Defence Staff]].<ref name=roads/><br />
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In 1993, he transferred to the Reserves and was appointed [[Canadian Ambassador to the United States|Ambassador to the United States]] by [[Brian Mulroney]].<ref name=roads/> In 1994, shortly after the election of [[Jean Chrétien]], he was recalled to Regular Force duty and re-appointed Chief of the Defence Staff, replacing [[John Rogers Anderson|Admiral Anderson]] and vacating the office of Ambassador for [[Raymond Chrétien]]. de Chastelain served as Chief of Defence Staff until his retirement in December 1995.<ref name=roads/><br />
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==Civilian==<br />
From November 1995, de Chastelain was involved in the [[Northern Ireland peace process]] and from 1997 to 2011 he was Chairman of the [[Independent International Commission on Decommissioning]], which was responsible for ensuring the [[Decommissioning in Northern Ireland|decommissioning of arms by paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland]]. He has made an impact on the way that Britain has viewed the IRA since the decommissioning has begun. As part of the [[Good Friday Agreement]] an independent neutral adjudicator was selected to look over the disarmament of Republican and Loyalist paramilitary weapons in Northern Ireland.<ref name=roads/><br />
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==Honours==<br />
[[File:Wall of Honour, Royal Military College of Canada.jpg|thumb|left|220px|Wall of Honour, Royal Military College of Canada]]<br />
In 1985, de Chastelain was appointed Commander of the [[Order of Military Merit (Canada)|Order of Military Merit]] and in 1991, Commander of the [[Venerable Order of Saint John|Order of St John]]; in 1993, he received the Commendation Medal of Merit and Honour of Greece, and was appointed Officer of the [[Order of Canada]]; in 1995,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=3135 |title=A.J.G.D. de Chastelain, O.C., C.M.M., C.D., C.H. |access-date=29 April 2010 |archive-date=27 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327160645/http://archive.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=3135 |url-status=live }}</ref> he was appointed Commander of the [[Legion of Merit]] (U.S.A.); in 1999, he was made a [[Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour]]; and in 2014, he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15694&lan=eng|title=Order of Canada Appointments|date=30 June 2014|access-date=1 July 2014|archive-date=25 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725183839/http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=15694&lan=eng|url-status=live}}</ref> Archie Cairns composed a jig for bagpipes in his honour in 1992.<ref>Archie Cairns – Bk1 Pipe Music 'General John de Chastelain (1992)' Jig 1995</ref><br />
<br />
He has an honorary Doctor of Military Science degree from the [[Royal Military College of Canada]], an honorary [[Doctor of Laws]] ([[Conflict Resolution]]) degree from [[Royal Roads University]] in British Columbia, an honorary [[Doctor of Education]] degree from [[Nipissing University]], an honorary [[Doctor of Laws]] degree from [[Carleton University]], an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from [[Queen's University, Kingston]], an honorary [[Doctor of Civil Law]] degree from [[Saint Mary's University (Halifax)|Saint Mary's University]], an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from [[Brock University]], an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from [[Concordia University]], an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from [[Mount Allison University]] and a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the [[University of Edinburgh]], and an honorary [[Doctor of Laws]] degree from [[Mount Royal University]]. He is an Honorary Fellow of [[Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford|Lady Margaret Hall]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]. De Chastelain was a recipient of the [[Vimy Award]] in 1992.<ref>[http://www.rmcclub.ca/everitaswp/?p=1430#more-1430 e-Veritas » Blog Archive » Misc<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207122811/http://www.rmcclub.ca/everitaswp/?p=1430 |date=7 December 2008 }}</ref><br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
{{Commons category}}<br />
* {{OCC|3135}}<br />
* [https://www.theguardian.com/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,1578667,00.html IRA arms decommissioned]<br />
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{{s-start}}<br />
{{s-aca}}<br />
{{succession box|title=[[List of Royal Military College of Canada people|Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada]]|<br />
before=[[William W. Turner]]|<br />
after=John A. Stewart|<br />
years=1977–1980}}<br />
{{s-mil}}<br />
{{succession box|title=[[Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)|Vice Chief of the Defence Staff]]|before=[[Jack Vance (general)|J.E. Vance]]|after=[[Charles Thomas (Canadian admiral)|C.M.W. Thomas]]|years=1988–1989}}<br />
|-<br />
{{succession box|title=[[Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)|Chief of the Defence Staff]]|<br />
before=[[Paul David Manson|P.D. Manson]]|<br />
after=[[John Rogers Anderson|J.R. Anderson]]|<br />
years=1989–1993}}<br />
{{succession box|title=[[Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)|Chief of the Defence Staff]]|<br />
before=[[John Rogers Anderson|J.R. Anderson]]|<br />
after=[[Jean Boyle|J.E.J. Boyle]]|<br />
years=1994–1995}}<br />
{{s-dip}}<br />
{{succession box|title=[[List of Canadian ambassadors to the United States|Canadian Ambassador Extraordinary<br>and Plenipotentiary to the United States of America]]|<br />
before=[[Derek Burney]]|<br />
after=[[Raymond Chrétien]]|<br />
years=1993–1994}}<br />
{{s-off}}<br />
{{succession box|title=Chairman of the [[Independent International Commission on Decommissioning]]|<br />
before=new position|<br />
after=none|<br />
years=1997–2011}}<br />
{{s-end}}<br />
<br />
{{Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada)}}<br />
{{CA-Ambassadors to the United States}}<br />
<br />
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chastelain, John}}<br />
[[Category:1937 births]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Canada)]]<br />
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[[Category:People educated at Fettes College]]<br />
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[[Category:Northern Ireland peace process]]<br />
[[Category:Commandants of the Royal Military College of Canada]]<br />
[[Category:Mount Royal University alumni]]<br />
[[Category:Graduates of the Staff College, Camberley]]<br />
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of Military Merit (Canada)]]<br />
[[Category:Canadian military musicians]]<br />
[[Category:Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry officers]]<br />
[[Category:Calgary Highlanders]]<br />
[[Category:Calgary Highlanders soldiers]]</div>99.225.121.26