OTTAWA - A long-time fixture in the federal bureaucracy whose career spanned six prime ministers has died at the age of 76.
Arthur Kroeger joined the department of foreign affairs in 1958 when John Diefenbaker was prime minister and became a deputy minister of the department of Indian and Northern Affairs in 1975.
He went on to become deputy minister of five other government departments before he retired in 1992, at the tail end of Brian Mulroney's tenure at 24 Sussex Drive.
Kroeger went on to become Chancellor of Ottawa's Carleton University in 1993 and held that position for the next decade.
He was made a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2000.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement calling Kroeger a "legendary public servant" whose career was "marked by strong leadership, wise management and a sterling dedication to the country."
A news release on the Carleton University web site said Kroeger died Friday evening in at Ottawa's palliative care facility with his family by his side.
