Robert Hunter

Who was Robert Hunter?

Robert Lorne Hunter was a Canadian environmentalist, journalist, author and politician. A member of the Don't Make a Wave Committee in 1969 with Dorothy and Irving Stowe, Marie and Jim Bohlen, and Ben and Dorothy Metcalfe. He was a co-founder of Greenpeace in 1971 with Patrick Moore, Ben Metcalfe, Jim Bohlen, Irving Stowe, Paul Watson and several other members. Hunter, the first President of Greenpeace, was a long-time campaigner for environmental causes. He led the first on-sea anti-whaling campaigns in the world, against Russian and Australian whalers, which helped lead to the ban on commercial whaling. He campaigned against nuclear testing, the Canadian seal hunt and later, climate change with his book 'Thermageddon: Countdown to 2030.' He was named by Time as one of the "Eco-Heroes" of the 20th century and is charged with coining the terms "mindbombs" and "eco-warrior".

Born in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Hunter's career in journalism began in the 1960s at the Winnipeg Tribune and the Vancouver Sun, where he focused on the counterculture as well as environmental issues.