Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who as prime minister of Canada captivated first his nation and then much of the world with his intellectual charm, sophisticated wit and a stylish political ability rarely seen before in Ottawa, died on September 28th aged 80.
Pierre Trudeau was elected to the House of Commons in 1965 and served as prime minister from 1968 to 1979, and again from 1980 to 1984, winning four out of five elections in which he led the Liberal Party.
Canadian and American publications greeted his arrival in national office with the news that "Trudeaumania" had swept him to power. The electorate and the media were much taken with the bilingual, charismatic intellectual who had shot to the top of Canadian politics.
He dazzled the world with his combination of continental suits and casual attire. The world followed the eligible bachelor's social life - he once invited Barbra Streisand to the Commons to see him at work. At the age of 51, he married the beautiful and rich Margaret Sinclair.
During his time in office, he fought a series of battles over economics, justice, the relations of Canada to both Britain and the US, and federal Canada's relationship with the provinces. He seemed to thrive on conflict - always happiest when fighting nearly alone - and, as the first political master of the sound bite, was adept at taking his case directly to the people.
He gained the admiration not only of his own people, but also from many in the US. Young Americans - alienated by their own politics and politicians - were fascinated by this Anglo-Gallic lion of the north, who seemed to speak their language, appreciate their style and culture, and, above all, inspire them.
Pierre Elliott Trudeau was born in Montreal on October 18th, 1919, the middle child of wealthy parents, Charles-Emile Trudeau and Grace Elliott. As a child, he was driven to school in a limousine.
He was a 1944 honours graduate in law at the University of Montreal. Over the next five years, he travelled and studied abroad. He received a master's degree in law from Harvard University and attended the Ecole des Science Politiques in Paris and the London School of Economics. He then spent two years in Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Orient before returning to Canada in 1949 where he became active in politics and journalism.
He held a variety of jobs, including those of economic policy adviser to the Privy Council and legal consultant to labour unions. In the early 1950s, he helped found the influential Cite Libre magazine, and from 1959 until 1965 taught constitutional law at the University of Montreal.
He was elected to parliament in 1965 and became parliamentary secretary to prime minister Lester B. Pearson. Two years later, his role as federal minister of justice, thrust him into the public eye when he liberalised Canada's laws on abortion, homosexuality and divorce. He had a meteoric rise in politics, becoming a candidate for leadership of the Liberals at the 1968 convention. Campaigning for "one Canada", he defeated Conservative leader Robert Stanfield.
Pierre Trudeau reached the national scene "like a stone through a stained-glass window", wrote author Gordon Donaldson.
He was the right man at the right time for Canada, historians say. At a time when more than 50 per cent of Canada's population was younger than 30, he appealed to both the old and the young.
"Trudeau turned the country into spectacle itself, the glamorous movie it had only ever dreamed of becoming, with Pierre Elliott Trudeau both its director and its star," wrote Geoff Pevere and Greig Dymond in the book Mondo Canuck: A Cana- dian Pop Culture Odyssey.
He danced the bump and the boogaloo, kissed swooning women. Teenagers followed him, kissing autographed photos of their prime minister. On a stop after taking over as leader someone asked him about the future of the Liberals. He said: "An exciting political party should have both blondes and brunettes." He told a crowd of screaming fans in Winnipeg: "I do not feel myself bound by any doctrine or rigid approaches. I am a pragmatist."
Pierre Trudeau was the architect of Canada's 1982 constitution and worked to make sure that Quebec remained part of Canada. He dismissed Quebec's threats of separatism, saying it "reeks of blackmail . . . If Quebec separates, let it separate; I'll not hang myself in a loft. But I think it's the wrong choic".
His forceful efforts are credited for the defeat of a 1980 referendum on a form of secession for the then restive province. Quebec separatism went quiet until the 1990s and a near-victory in a 1995 referendum.
The political magic lasted for him until October 5th, 1970, when a radical wing of the Front de Liberation du Quebec kidnapped a British diplomat and then killed a provincial Cabinet minister who had been held captive. He invoked the War Measures Act, sending troops onto the streets of Montreal and allowing police to detain people without charges.
Most Canadians supported his actions, but others became offended by what they saw as his arrogance. By the early 1970s, the country had slipped out of "Trudeaumania", and a national magazine commented: "The prime minister gives the impression of believing that he and his inner court of advisers . . . have a monopoly on truth . . . Trudeau [needs] to become less of a philosopher-king and more of a compassionate human."
Despite his 15 years and five months as prime minister, Pierre Trudeau never won consecutive majorities. In 1972, he came within two seats of losing. In 1974, he brought back a majority during a campaign against wage and price controls. But after the election he imposed both. In 1979, after he lost to Joe Clark and the Tories, he announced his retirement but quickly changed his mind and was elected again in 1980. On February 29th, 1984, he resigned again.
After retiring, he lived a quiet life, walking to work to his downtown law office in Montreal. Pierre Trudeau, who separated from his wife in 1977, is survived by his sons, Justin and Sacha. His third son, Michel, died in 1998.
Pierre Trudeau: born 1919; died, September 2000