Sauve, Jeanne Mathilde, << soh VAY, zhahn ma TEELD >> (1922-1993), became the first woman to serve as governor general of Canada. She was governor general from 1984 to 1990. Sauve succeeded Edward R. Schreyer in the position. She also was the first woman to serve as speaker of the House of Commons.
Sauve was born on April 26, 1922, in Prud’homme, Saskatchewan. She graduated from Notre Dame du Rosaire Convent, a college in Ottawa, and also studied at the University of Paris. In 1950, she began working for UNESCO, an agency of the United Nations. From 1952 until 1972, she worked mainly as a journalist and broadcaster for newspapers and radio and television networks in Canada. In 1972, Sauve was elected to the House of Commons. Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau appointed her minister of state for science and technology in 1972, minister of the environment in 1974, and minister of communications in 1975. Sauve served as speaker of the House of Commons from 1980 to 1984. She died on Jan. 26, 1993.
