John Matheson was born in Arundel, Quebec, the son of the Reverend Dr A Dawson Matheson and his wife Gertrude Matheson.
23 Facts About John Matheson
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John Matheson graduated from Queen's University in 1940, winning the prestigious Tricolour Award in that year for distinguished achievement.
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John Matheson served as an officer with the 1st Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, 1st Canadian Infantry Division in Italy during World War II.
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John Matheson participated in the Battle of Ortona, where an air bursting German shell sent shrapnel into his head and caused damage similar to a stroke.
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John Matheson was left paralyzed from the neck down and unable to speak.
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John Matheson recovered after returning to Canada, but never regained the use of his right leg.
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John Matheson's injuries caused him lifelong pain, and afterwards, he usually walked with the assistance of a cane.
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John Matheson held honorary militia appointments with the 30th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery from 1972 to 1982.
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John Matheson said they would never have met if she hadn't been such a curious nurse.
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John Matheson received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School, a Master of Arts degree from Mount Allison University, and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Western Ontario.
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John Matheson was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1948 and was created a Queen's Counsel in 1967.
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John Matheson was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament in the Ontario riding of Leeds in a 1961 by-election.
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John Matheson lost his seat in Parliament when he was defeated by 4 votes in the 1968 Federal Election.
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John Matheson was the only incumbent Liberal not to be re-elected in the 1968 "Trudeaumania" election.
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John Matheson was a leading member of the multi-party parliamentary committee whose mandate was to select a new flag design for Canada.
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John Matheson wrote a book, Canada's Flag: A Search for a Country, about the creation of the new flag.
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John Matheson later played an important role in the creation of the Order of Canada, as one of its founders.
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John Matheson influenced the design of the order's insignia, created by Bruce W Beatty.
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John Matheson was portrayed by Peter MacNeill in a Heritage Minute television commercial about his involvement in the Flag committee.
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In 1968, John Matheson was appointed a judge of the Judicial District of Ottawa-Carleton.
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John Matheson ruled that 20-year-old Justin Clark, who suffered from cerebral palsy, was mentally competent to make his own decisions and should not be forced into the guardianship of his parents.
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John Matheson later described giving this decision as his proudest moment.
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The John Matheson Sword is awarded annually to the Preparatory Year cadet at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean who achieved the highest results in all four components of the College's program, namely Academics, Leadership, Athletics and Bilingualism.