Ray Hnatyshyn
Canadian politician
Died when: 68 years 277 days (825 months)Star Sign: Pisces
Ramon John Hnatyshyn PC CC CMM CD QC (Can) QC (Sask) FRHSC(hon) (/n?'t???n/ n?-TISH-?n;Ukrainian: ????? ???????? ????????, romanized: Roman Ivanovych Hnatyshyn, IPA: [ro'm?n i'w?now?d? ?n?'t???n];
March 16, 1934 – December 18, 2002) was a Canadian lawyer and statesman who served as governor general of Canada, the 24th since Canadian Confederation.
Hnatyshyn was born and educated in Saskatchewan and served in the Royal Canadian Air Force prior to being elected to the House of Commons in 1974.
On June 4, 1979, Hnatyshyn was sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and served as a minister of the Crown in two non-successive governments until 1988.
He was appointed governor general by Queen Elizabeth II in 1989, on the recommendation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.He replaced Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé as viceroy, and occupied the post until succeeded by Roméo LeBlanc in 1995.
As the Queen's representative, Hnatyshyn proved to be a populist, reversing some exclusive policies of his predecessor, such as by opening up Rideau Hall to ordinary Canadians and tourists alike, and was praised for raising the stature of Ukrainian Canadians.
He subsequently practiced law and sat as Chancellor of Carleton University before dying of pancreatitis on December 18, 2002.