David McTaggart

David "Dave" Fraser McTaggart (* June 24, 1932 in Vancouver, British Columbia, † March 23, 2001 in Paciano, Italy) was an environmentalist and the initiator, founder and first chairman of the international section of Greenpeace.

Life

David McTaggart lived a sheltered childhood with his parents George McTaggart (1899-1990) and his wife Mary. He had two siblings, a ten-year older sister and his brother Drew ( 1929-1995 ).

In his first half of his life McTaggart was contractors and bon vivant. Previously, he had three times to decide the Canadian championships in badminton for themselves. He has five children with several women. After the bankruptcy of his company in Canada, he moved to New Zealand and bought in 1969 the yacht Vega, without a concrete perspective.

He became aware of the protests of Greenpeace against French nuclear tests in 1972. At the suggestion of Greenpeace, he not only made his yacht available, but drove himself and three other crew members in international waters around the Mururoa Atoll, which saw France as a separate restricted area. Their stay in the restricted zone, the four environmentalists wanted to prevent a French nuclear test in the South Pacific. They reached international attention, but the test could be delayed a few days. The Vega was rammed by a French warship and arrested four activists. The following year, 1973, reiterated France 's nuclear tests and McTaggart the protest ride. McTaggart and another crew member were beaten up and seriously injured.

In 1979, McTaggart Greenpeace International, which he chaired until 1991.

After his resignation as chairman, he led a quieter life, but remained active until his death for Greenpeace. He died of heart failure or processing due to car accident, near its ecological olive farm in Umbria. Here, an older Italian couple in another car was seriously injured, the man later died.

Quotes

" Always remember that it's about the way your children into the 21st century - and to hell with the rules "