David McTaggart

Who was David McTaggart?

David Fraser McTaggart was a Canadian-born environmentalist who played a central part in the foundation of Greenpeace International.

An excellent all-around athlete, as a young man he won three consecutive Canadian National Badminton Championships in men's singles and represented that country in badminton's Thomas Cup competition. Prior to his involvement in Greenpeace he had prospered as a builder and developer.

In 1972, responding to an ad in the newspapers, he used his personal boat to protest the testing of nuclear weapons in the Pacific by the French Government. After getting his boat damaged and being physically hurt by the French Military, his protest succeeded in 1974 when the French announced the end of their atmospheric nuclear testing program. McTaggart spent the next several years pursuing legal action against the French Government and assisting in the formation of Greenpeace affiliates across Western Europe. In 1979 he brokered an agreement that led to the formation of Greenpeace International, ending the leadership of the original founding group based in Vancouver, Canada.