Gordon Thiessen
Encyclopedia
Gordon G. Thiessen, OC
(born August 14, 1938) was the sixth Governor
of the Bank of Canada
from 1994 to 2001, succeeding John Crow
. He was succeeded by David A. Dodge
.
Born in South Porcupine, Ontario and raised in Saskatchewan
, Thiessen studied economics
at the University of Saskatchewan
and received an Honours BA
in 1960 and a MA
in 1961. He taught economics for a year and then joined the Bank of Canada in 1963. From 1965 to 1967 he attended the London School of Economics
, from which he received his Ph.D
in Economics in 1972.
At the Bank of Canada, Thiessen was appointed Adviser to the Governor in 1979, Deputy Governor in 1984, and Senior Deputy Governor in 1987.
In 1996, he received the government of Sweden
's Order of the Polar Star
in recognition of the assistance provided by the Bank of Canada to the Swedish Central Bank (Sveriges Riksbank)
to assist them in developing their policy framework for combating inflation when the Swedish Krona
was first floated in January 1993.
In 1997, Thiessen received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D) degree from the University of Saskatchewan
.
On September 25, 2001, Thiessen was elected to the IPSCO Board of Directors.
On February 1, 2002, Thiessen was elected to the Manulife Financial
Board of Directors.
In 2002, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(born August 14, 1938) was the sixth Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of the Bank of Canada
Bank of Canada
The Bank of Canada is Canada's central bank and "lender of last resort". The Bank was created by an Act of Parliament on July 3, 1934 as a privately owned corporation. In 1938, the Bank became a Crown corporation belonging to the Government of Canada...
from 1994 to 2001, succeeding John Crow
John Crow
John William Crow was the fifth Governor of the Bank of Canada from 1987 to 1994, succeeding Gerald Bouey. He was succeeded by Gordon Thiessen....
. He was succeeded by David A. Dodge
David A. Dodge
David A. Dodge, OC, FRSC is a Canadian economist. He served a seven-year term as Governor of the Bank of Canada from February 1, 2001 to January 31, 2008. He was succeeded by Mark Carney. On September 12, 2008 he joined Bennett Jones LLP, a leading Canadian law firm, as a senior advisor in their...
.
Born in South Porcupine, Ontario and raised in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Thiessen studied economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
and received an Honours BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in 1960 and a MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1961. He taught economics for a year and then joined the Bank of Canada in 1963. From 1965 to 1967 he attended the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
, from which he received his Ph.D
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Economics in 1972.
At the Bank of Canada, Thiessen was appointed Adviser to the Governor in 1979, Deputy Governor in 1984, and Senior Deputy Governor in 1987.
In 1996, he received the government of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
's Order of the Polar Star
Order of the Polar Star
The Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
in recognition of the assistance provided by the Bank of Canada to the Swedish Central Bank (Sveriges Riksbank)
Sveriges Riksbank
Sveriges Riksbank, or simply Riksbanken, is the central bank of Sweden and the world's oldest central bank. It is sometimes called the Swedish National Bank or the Bank of Sweden .-History:...
to assist them in developing their policy framework for combating inflation when the Swedish Krona
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
was first floated in January 1993.
In 1997, Thiessen received an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D) degree from the University of Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
.
On September 25, 2001, Thiessen was elected to the IPSCO Board of Directors.
On February 1, 2002, Thiessen was elected to the Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial
Manulife Financial Corporation , is a Canadian insurance company and financial services provider. Manulife Financial's global head office is located in Toronto, Canada and the Company has operations in 21 countries and territories worldwide.The Company operates in Canada and Asia through the brand...
Board of Directors.
In 2002, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
.