Biography of Clarkson, Adrienne - Archontology
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Clarkson, Adrienne

Adrienne-Louise Clarkson

b. 10 Feb 1939, Hong Kong

Title: Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada = Gouverneure générale et Commandante en chef du Canada
Term: 7 Oct 1999 - 27 Sep 2005
Chronology: 8 Sep 1999, appointed by Commission under the Great Seal of Canada [1]
  7 Oct 1999, took an oath of allegiance and an oath of office as Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, public ceremony, Senate Chamber, Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Ontario [2]
  27 Sep 2005, appointment superseded by the Commission of a successor effective on taking the prescribed oaths [3]
Names/titles: Original name (Chinese as recorded in pinyin): Wǔ Bīngzhī; née Adrienne-Louise Poy; surname changed to Clarkson on her marriage in 1963 and retained after divorce
Biography:
The daughter of a prominent businessman, William Poy, who lost his property after the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941, Adrienne Poy came to Canada with her parents in 1942. After attending school in Ottawa, she received her master's degree at the University of Toronto in 1961. From 1961-1963 she studied at the Sorbonne, Paris, and in 1965 she began an award-winning, 18-year-long career as TV host-interviewer for the CBC programs. Between 1968 and 1971 she published her two novels and the interviews. She was appointed Ontario's agent-general in Paris from 1982-1987 and publisher of McClelland & Stewart from 1987-1989. In 1989 she returned to broadcasting as executive producer and host of CBC's national arts showcase Adrienne Clarkson Presents.
Biographical sources: The Canadian encyclopedia: year 2000 edition. McClelland & Stewart Inc., Toronto.

[1] Canada Gazette, Part I, Extra, No. 3, 7 Oct 1999, p. 3.
[2] Canada Gazette, Part I, Extra, No. 3, 7 Oct 1999, pp. 1-2; Globe and Mail, 8 Oct 1999, pp. A1, A3, A15.
[3] Canada Gazette, Part I, Extra, No. 8, 27 Sep 2005, pp. 1-2.