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COLLECTION Identifier: ESPP MFS001

Papers of Maurice F. Strong, 1948-2000.

SCOPE and CONTENT

The collection consists of the business, personal and professional papers of Maurice F. Strong dating from his career beginning in 1948, through his work as the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on the Human Environment, as the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, with the Office for Emergency Operations in Africa during the 1980s African famine, as the Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Environment and Development of 1992, and ending with his directorship of the Earth Council. The order of the collection has been retained as it was in storage and reflect 12 phases of Strong's career. They are: I. Early personal papers dating from 1945-1954; II. Power Corporation years, 1962-1970 as the head of this Crown Corporation in Canada; III. External Aid Office/CIDA years dating from 1966-1970 as the Director of the Office which later became the Canadian International Development Agency; IV. UN Conference on the Human Environment/UN Environment Programme years, 1970-1975 as the Secretary-General and Executive Director respectively; V. Colorado/"F" Series dating from 1968-1985, a grouping of alphabetical files found in Strong's home in Colorado spanning several career periods; VI. Petro-Canada years, 1976-1978 as Chief Executive Officer of a major Canadian petroleum company; VII. Private enterprise and public service years I, 1978-1984 during which time he was involved in a number of financial ventures and with a number of governmental and non-governmental organizations; VIII. African famine years, 1984-1986 as the head of the UN effort to disseminate aid to African countries under the seige of famine; IX. Private enterprise and public service years II, 1986-1989; X. Earth Summit/Earth Council years, 1990-1992 as Secretary-General of the Earth Summit and Director of the Earth Council; XI. Ontario-Hydro years, 1992-1995; and XII. UN years, 1993-2000 as a consult to the Secretary-General of the UN. The collections contains a number of general series including correspondence, diaries, clippings, alphabetical files, trip files, university visits, personal files, organization files, chronological files, day files, publicity, subject and speech reference file, speeches and writings and event files. Within the organizations files are corporate documents such as financial statements, annual reports, correspondence, project reports, proposals, etc.

Dates

  • Creation: 1948-2000.

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS:

Collection restricted until processed. Please consult the archives staff for access at 617-496-4958.

OWNERSHIP & LITERARY RIGHTS:

The Maurice F. Strong Papers are the physical property of the Environmental Science and Public Policy Archives, Harvard College. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the authors or their legal heirs and assigns.

Extent

287.7 linear feet (685 boxes)

Maurice F. Strong, 1929-

MAURICE STRONG was named Senior Advisor to the President of the World Bank in June 1995. From December 1992 until December 1995, Mr. Strong was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Hydro, North America's largest utility. Until September 1992, Mr. Strong was Secretary General of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) and Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. During 1985 and 1986, he served as Under-Secretary General of the United Nations and Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Office for Emergency Operations in Africa and was a member of the World Commission on Environment and Development. Born in Canada and a resident of Toronto, Canada, Mr. Strong has longstanding ties with both the private and public sectors. Mr. Strong served as the Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment from November 1970 to December 1972, and subsequently became the first Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya (January 1973-December 1975). He was then appointed President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canada's national oil company, Petro-Canada. He also has been President of Power Corporation of Canada, first President of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), Chairman of the Canada Development Investment Corporation and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Development Research Centre (IDCR) in Canada. Mr. Strong is an advisor to the United Nations, and serves on the board of several other public service organizations. He has been a director and/or officer of a number of Canadian, U.S. and international corporations.He has received a number of awards and honours including the Order of Canada, the Swedish Royal Order of the Polar Star, and honourary doctorates from 37 universities. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society (U.K.), the Royal Society of Canada and the Royal Architectural Society of Canada.Mr. Strong was born 29 April 1929, and educated in Manitoba, Canada. He is married to Hanne Marstrand and has four children, a foster child and eight grandchildren. His current appointments include

  1. Under-Secretary General and Special Advisor to the Secretary-General, United Nations
  1. Special Advisor to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme>
  1. Chairman, Earth Council Institute
  1. Chairman, International Advisory Board, CH2M Hill Group Inc.
  1. Director, Foundation Board, World Economic Forum
  1. Director, The Human Society of the United States
  1. Member, Toyota International Advisory Board
  1. Director, Zenon Environmental Inc.

Past appointments include:

  1. Special Advisor to the President, World Bank
  1. 1998-2001 Mamber International Advisory Board, Federation of Korean Industry
  1. 1992-1995 Chairman, Ontario Hydro
  1. 1992 Secretary General, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
  1. 1985-1986 Executive Coordinator, United Nations Office for Emergency Operations in Africa
  1. 1983-1987 Member World Commission on Environment and Development
  1. 1976-1978 President, Chairman of the Board and Chairman of the Executive Committee, Petro-Canada
  1. 1973-1975 Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme, Nairobi, Kenya
  1. 1970-1972 Secretary-General, United Nations Conference on the Human Environment
  1. 1970-1972, 1976-1980, Chairman, Board of Governors, International Development Research Centre, Membmer of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum
  1. 1966-1970 Headed Canada's International Development Assistance Program as Director-General of the External Aid Office, and later as President and Chairman of the Board of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
  1. 1966-1970 Alternate Governor for Canada- International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Chairman, Bureau of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources

PROVENANCE:

The Maurice F. Strong Papers were acquired in their entirety in 2000. Approximately 1/2 of the papers were collected at the home of Maurice F. Strong in Lost Lake, Ontario. The remaining 1/2 were collected from the home of Hanne Marstrand Strong in Crestone, Colorado, the wife of Maurice F. Strong. Those materials collected in Ontario span the early life of his career and the early 1990s to the present. Those materials collected in Colorado span the mid-range of his career dating from the early 1970s to the late 1980s. It is believed that Strong made his permanent residence at the Crestone home during the time period 1970-1989 as a result of his marriage to Hanne Marstrand. The materials held in Ontario date prior to his marriage to Hanne; the materials from 1990s to the present presumably were sent to Ontario as a result of a separation from Hanne.

Accession number: 000.4 and 000.6

Processing Information

Processed by: Amy Christensen,

2000 November-2002 December

Title
Strong, Maurice F., 1929- . Maurice F. Strong papers, 1948-2000: Guide
Author
Environmental Science and Public Policy Archives. Harvard College Library.
Language of description
und
EAD ID
env00004

Repository Details

Part of the ESPP Archives Repository

The Environmental Science and Public Policy Archives (ESPPA) has materials in the fields of environment and sustainability science, related public policy, and cultural perspectives on the environment. There is a strong but not exclusive emphasis on international environmental governance, including climate negotiations. The ESPPA is a global center for researchers interested in the history of climate change policy, toxicity and native peoples, and the standout success story of stratospheric ozone diplomacy.

Contact:
Lamont Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 496-6158