Today marks the birthday, in 1948, of one of the most important public servants of his generation. I speak, of course, of Bob Rae, who is now Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations. His is a remarkable career that includes his election to the Commons in a 1978 by-election, being elected leader of the Ontario NDP and then bringing that party to power for the only time in the province’s history. After his government was defeated in 1995, Mr. Rae entered the private sector. Before long, however, politics beckoned again: he ran for the federal Liberal Party leadership in 2006 (in which Stephane Dion prevailed) and then had a successful campaign as a federal Liberal candidate in 2008.  Mr. Rae abandoned a subsequent bid (in 2008) to become Liberal leader (Michael Ignatieff was chosen) but later distinguished himself as interim leader of the Liberal Party from 2011-13, following Mr. Ignatieff's departure from politics. Known as an outstanding Parliamentarian and orator, Rae also become a prolific writer, writing countless columns in the popular press that have helped inform Canadian public policy discussions in areas too numerous to mention. His memoirs of his term as Premier of Ontario, From Protest to Power, are a must-read for any student of recent Canadian political history. Rae is the son of the late Saul Rae, a legendary member of Canada’s foreign service who also served as Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations -- the former Premier often jokes he was born in a “log embassy.” Over many years Bob (and his brother John) have supported my work in the field of political history so it is a particular personal pleasure to send out birthday greetings to this remarkable Canadian and friend. Happy birthday, Bob! And, I’m also sending birthday greetings out to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. caption id="attachment_576493" align="alignleft" width="318" Bob Rae/caption Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist.  He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy.  A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.