Arthur Kroeger

Who was Arthur Kroeger?

Arthur Kroeger, CC was a Canadian academic and civil servant, who is referred to as the "dean of deputy ministers".

Born on a farm in Naco, Alberta, Kroeger was descended from Mennonites who emigrated from Russia. He received a BA in 1955 from the University of Alberta and was a Rhodes Scholar. In 1958, he joined the Department of External Affairs and served in Geneva, New Delhi, Washington, and Ottawa. He was deputy minister of the following ministries: Indian and Northern Affairs; Transport Canada; Regional Industrial Expansion; Energy, Mines and Resources; and Employment and Immigration Canada. He retired from public service in 1992.

From 1993 to 1994, he was a visiting professor at the University of Toronto. From 1993 to 1999, he was a visiting fellow at Queen's University.

From 1993 to 2002, he was Chancellor of Carleton University. Carleton also named the Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs, the school for the university's undergraduate Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management programme, in Kroeger's honour.

In 1989 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 2000.