'Diefenbaby' George Dryden, who claimed to be son of ex-PM, dead at 47
George Dryden, the man who became known as "Diefenbaby," has died. Dryden spent years trying to prove he was the son of former Canadian Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.
He's just a lovely guy who didn't want to harm anybody. He just wanted to find out the truth of a story that was told to him. I really understand that because I was on a similar quest.- Lawrence Goertzen, who also believed he was related to John Diefenbaker
In 2011, Dryden went public with his belief that his late mother, Mary Lou Dryden, had an affair with Diefenbaker and that he was their son. His mother was a friend and confidante of the former prime minister and DNA tests have shown that her husband, Gordon Dryden, is not George's father. Members of the Diefenbaker family would not submit to a DNA test. But another family, with a remarkably similar story, did.
Lawrence Goertzen and his brothers had always been told their father was John Diefenbaker's son. While they don't know that for certain, a DNA test revealed that there is a 99.9 per cent chance that their father, Ed Thorne, is related to George Dryden.
In April, Goertzen and his brothers met George — who they believe is their uncle — for the first time. Goertzen spoke with As It Happens host Carol Off about why he believes Dryden and how he'll remember him. Here is part of their conversation:
Carol Off: Lawrence, first of all, I'm sorry for your loss.
Lawrence Goertzen: Thank you. It's a sad day.
CO: What was it like when you first met George Dryden?
LG: It was exciting, yet cautious. He had mentioned that he had something to tell us. So when he had told us the news, that he had pancreatic cancer and didn't have long to live, it was like, "Wow." All the thoughts run through your mind of, "Why didn't we accomplish this sooner?"
CO: It's the first time you actually got to meet him face-to-face. Did you feel an identity with him?
LG: Uncanny. It was really funny. We just kind of giggled like young boys. My brother Stan and I both met George and the resemblance between George and Stan in person was incredible. "My gosh, you look more like brothers," I think was my first comment.
CO: As we understand it, George Dryden maintains that his mother had a relationship as well with the prime minister and he was the son of Diefenbaker. He was trying to find out if that was true, trying to get DNA from Diefenbaker family members to see if he could prove it. He wasn't able to do that so what relationship did you develop?
LG: It was simply through the story that we had heard of the possibility that we were Diefenbaker grandchildren. And I thought, well, if George Dryden has proven that he is related to the Diefenbakers through DNA, through the earwax sample that was done, that if we're related to him, the chance of that happening is zero. The two families would have never met or crossed paths of any type and the only common story that we had was Diefenbaker.
CO: The only connection that could possibly be between you is John Diefenbaker because that's the only common denominator, as far as you can figure out?
LG: That is the only possibility. Never met their family and that is the only common denominator. You bet. To our satisfaction, it's true. We're Diefenbaker's grandchildren, George Dryden was Diefenbaker's son and, I guess in our minds, the quest was complete.
CO: It wasn't enough for George Dryden though, was it? What did you learn before he died about what he was going through, in his effort to try to find out his identity?
LG: He was searching for his identity. A confirmation, a complete confirmation, that the story he heard was 100 percent true and he was met with such resistance. George is such a wonderful, kind . . . he's just a lovely guy who didn't want to harm anybody. He just wanted to find out the truth of a story that was told to him. I really understand that because I was on a similar quest and I was fortunate enough to get my answer -- that yes, my dad was my dad. And George never received that information.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.