Born in Victoria, British Columbia, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Queen's University.
During World War II, he was a captain in the Royal Canadian Army Service Corps.
In 1965, he ran for the House of Commons of Canada for the riding of Greenwood.
From 1984 to 1989, he was the Chairman of the Council of Governors of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
In 1993 he was the co-founder and first co-chairman of The Canadian Foundation for the Preservation of Chinese Cultural and Historical Treasures.