KIDD, Dr. George Pirkis. Born June 6, 1917 in Glasgow, Scotland; passed away
peacefully on July 22, 2004 in Victoria, British Columbia. Predeceased by
his parents, George and Mary Kidd; his wife, Lola (Calverley) Kidd; his
brother, William Kidd; and his sister, Mary Hood Hutchinson. Survived by his
brother, Dr. James McIntyre Kidd (Portland, Oregon); nephews, David George
Hutchinson (Portland, Oregon) and James F. Hutchinson (Portland, Oregon);
nieces, Ann Kidd/Battye (Ontario), Mary April Lee (Bay City, Oregon), Diane
Marguerite Nusom (Albany, Oregon), Cynthia Hood Hutchinson and Dr. Kathleen
Hutchinson (Portland, Oregon); as well as many great nieces and nephews.
Dr. Kidd attended St. Michael’s School (1928-32), Brentwood College
(1932-36) and Victoria College (1936-37) in Victoria prior to earning a B.A.
and M.A. at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. In 1941, he was
studying for his Ph.D at the University of Illinois (Fellowship), when he
joined the Canadian army. He served with The Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders
of Canada in the U.K. and France, where he was wounded in action in the
Normandy campaign in 1944.
In 1946, Dr. Kidd commenced a distinguished career with the Canadian
Department of External Affairs, including several postings at the
ambassadorial level. He was first posted to the Canadian Legation in Warsaw,
Poland in 1947, followed by a posting to the Canadian Embassy in Paris,
France in 1949. In 1951, he returned to Canada to attend a course at the
National Defence College, followed by a three-year assignment in the
department’s Defence Liaison Branch in Ottawa, which was responsible for
intelligence and security matters.
When the Canadian government agreed to establish diplomatic relations with
the new State of Israel in 1954, Dr. Kidd was sent to Tel Aviv to open an
embassy and become the first Canadian Ambassador there. He returned to
Ottawa in 1957, serving two years in the Political Coordination Branch,
followed by two years on the Directing Staff, National Defence College.
He was posted to Havana as Canadian Ambassador to Cuba and Haiti in 1961,
serving there during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. In 1964, he was
posted to Washington, D.C. as Minister of the Canadian Embassy. From 1967 to
1971, Dr. Kidd served as Deputy Director of the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA), followed by a posting to London, England as
Assistant Secretary General, Commonwealth Secretariat. Dr. Kidd’s diplomatic
career culminated with a posting to Lagos, where he served as Canadian High
Commissioner to Nigeria and Sierra Leone from 1974 to 1977.
Dr. Kidd retired to Victoria, British Columbia in 1977, where he gave
generously of his time and talents to the betterment of his community,
province and country.. He served on the Executive and was President
(1978-81) of the Royal Commonwealth Society and President of the Victoria
Branch, Canadian Institute of International Affairs (1981-84). A
knowledgeable collector of art himself, he made a significant contribution
to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria as Chairman of the Finance Committee,
Board of Trustees (1981-83); President of the Board (1983-85). He also
served as
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Chris Petter
As member of the University Libraries and as a member of the UVic Board of Governors I know of the contribution made by George Kidd to our institution.
An historian has recently inquired as to the whereabouts of his records. I wonder if they have been deposited in a Library or Archives and if not I would be interested in hearing about any plans you might have for their preservation.
Given his contribution to country in his diplomatic work and afterward, I hope that his family will ensure their preservation in a public funded institution.
It would be good to ensure that the George’s memory is properly preserved.
Thank you,
Chris Petter