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David Harry Searle was born in Edmonton, Alberta in 1936. He moved to Yellowknife in 1946 where his father worked for Con Mine. Searle was educated in the Yellowknife public school system. During his high school years, he worked summer jobs at Con Mine.
Searle attended the University of Alberta and earned degrees in history and law (1961). As a young man, joined the Canadian Officers Training Corps and served in the Royal Canadian Army reserve as a military policeman.
David Searle returned to Yellowknife and, in 1963, co-founded the law firm de Weerdt Searle with Mark de Weerdt. Searle was the founding President of the Law Society of the Northwest Territories in 1978. He practiced law in the NWT until 1981.
While practicing law, Searle was also involved in politics in the NWT. First elected to the Northwest Territories Council in 1967 in the riding of Mackenzie North, Searle was elected again in 1970 and 1975 for the riding of Yellowknife South. From 1975 to 1979, he served at the Speaker of the House, and as such was the first Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Searle ran for federal politics in 1979 but narrowly lost.
David Searle was the first President of Scouts Canada in the NWT and played a large role in the scouting community in the north. Searle also served on a number of other boards during his time in the north.
David Searle and his family moved to Vancouver in 1981, where Searle continued to practice law until his retirement in 2006. He was an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia (Faculty of Law) from 1991 to 2004. In the 1990s, Searle also played a role in the corporate world, where he served as a lawyer during the development of diamond mines in the NWT.
In 2000, Searle was awarded the Order of Canada for his roles in government, law, and with Scouts Canada during his time in the north.
David Searle married Dorelle Edna Parsons and they had two children, Marc and Kristi. Following Dorelle’s death in 1994, Searle married Celia Stock in 2000.
David Searle died March 1, 2021, aged 84, in Saanich, British Columbia.
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Major updates to biographical sketch made Jan 6/23. RM
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Sources
CBC News. "N.W.T. mourns David Searle, territory's first Speaker of the Legislature." Accessed January 5, 2023. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/david-searle-first-nwt-speaker-dies-1.5938863.
Dignity Memorial. "David Harry Searle." Accessed January 6, 2023. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/victoria-bc/david-searle-10082162.
Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. "On the Passing of the Honourable David Searle." Accessed January 5, 2023. https://www.ntassembly.ca/documents-proceedings/news-releases/passing-honourable-david-searle.
Royal BC Museum. "Search Our Collection." Accessed January 6, 2023. https://search-collections.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Image/Genealogy/4f044c8b-6714-4881-8b60-42ab984f05f2.
The Governor General of Canada. "Mr. David Harry Searle." Accessed January 5, 2023. https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-7014.
Whitehouse, Simon. "David Searle, former MLA, lawyer remembered." Northern News Services Limited, March 9, 2021. https://www.nnsl.com/yellowknifer/david-searle-former-mla-lawyer-remembered/.
Yellowknife Historical Society. "News: Obituary - David Searle." Accessed January 5, 2023. https://www.yellowknifehistory.com/news/obituary-david-searle.