Geoff Edge

In  Memoriam
1920 — 2003

With the passing of Geoff Edge on October 27, the World Federalist Movement has lost one of its most dedicated and competent leaders.

Geoff became an active member in Montreal at the time Bill Sheehan initiated a period of significant World Federalist growth in Canada. He succeeded Bill as President of the Canadian Movement in 1962, and soon applied his very considerable management and financial abilities to establish the World Federalists of Canada on a sound organizational and financial footing. During this period Geoff also played a major role in establishing the World Law Foundation and served as the new organization's Vice Chairman.

He later served as Treasurer of the World Movement and played a leadership role at World Congresses in Tokyo (1963), San Francisco (1965), Oslo (1967), and Ottawa (1970). During the late 1960s he spearheaded a Development Fund financial campaign which led to the opening  of World Movement offices in New Delhi, Addis Ababa, and Lagos. In addition to his belief in the need for a greatly strengthened United Nations, Geoff gave a high priority to supporting refugees and the less fortunate in other parts of the world.

The approach Geoff employed in all his Federalist responsibilities was very much a "no nonsense, lets get the facts" form of management, a style which on occasion disturbed some members but clearly got results.

Geoff Edge was born in England in 1920. In 1939 he joined the British Army and served in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe for a seven year period. After the war he attended the University of London where he earned an honours degree in economics. Following his move to Canada with his wife Madeline and their two daughters he became Director of Corporate Development of Chemcel Ltd. In 1971 he was appointed to the National Energy Board and served as Chairman of the Board for five years prior to his retirement in 1986. He was a fellow of both the Management Accountants of Canada and the Council on Economic Regulations in Washington.

I am personally indebted to Geoff for his behind the scenes negotiations with the federal government which made possible my early retirement from the Royal Canadian Air Force (at age 38) to become WFMC's Executive Director in 1965. We were friends for many years and I greatly admired his integrity, ability to quickly isolate and focus on the essential elements of a problem, and an ever present readiness to apply a maximum effort when circumstances required.

Many long serving world federalists will remember Geoff as one of the organization's most effective leaders at a time when the movement acquired an important voice in shaping Canadian foreign policy.

— Andy Clarke