Photo: LGOntario / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Michaëlle Jean is a figure I find genuinely inspiring. Born in Port-au-Prince, she became the 27th Governor General of Canada, the first Haitian-Canadian and first Black person to hold that office. To me that arc, from refugee origins to representing the Crown, then leading the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, speaks to a rare blend of journalistic eloquence and public service. Her wall of honors, from the Legion of Honour Grand Cross to the Order of Canada, reflects a life that crossed languages, continents and roles. I admire people who turn a broadcasting career into something larger, and she clearly did exactly that.
Overview
Michaëlle Jean (French: [mi.ka.ɛl ʒɑ̃]; born September 6, 1957) is a Canadian former journalist who served as the 27th governor general of Canada from 2005 to 2010. She is the first Haitian Canadian and Black person to hold this office. Jean was the third secretary-general of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie from 2015 until 2019.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Michaëlle Jean
- Name (Japanese)
- ミカエル・ジャン
- Reading
- みかえる・じゃん
- Born
- September 6, 1957 (age 68)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Rooster
- Origin
- Port-au-Prince, Ouest, Haiti
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- journalist / news presenter / politician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Florence
Awards & achievements
- Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
- Companion of the Order of Canada
- Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
- Order of Military Merit (Canada)
- Order of Saint John
- 2009 honorary doctorate at the Laval University
- Honorary doctor of the University of Ottawa
- honorary doctorate from the McGill University
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Journalist — see all → · News presenter — see all → · More people from Haiti →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.