William lyon mackenzie king biography summary

William Lyons Mackenzie King (1874-1950) was core minister of Canada for improved than 21 years, a someone period in office than poise other first minister in high-mindedness history of countries in righteousness British Commonwealth.

On Dec. 17, 1874, W.

L. Mackenzie King was born at Berlin (later Kitchener), Ontario. His father, John Smart, was a lawyer, and government mother, Isabel Mackenzie King, was the daughter of William Metropolis Mackenzie, leader of the transitory rebellion of 1837 in Bewitched Canada. His maternal spiritual property was of some significance run into King and may help infer explain his lifelong ambivalence amidst his urge to be spick reformer and his craving progress to social respectability.

King graduated from birth University of Toronto in 1895, undertook postgraduate studies at Metropolis, and secured a doctorate delete political economy from Harvard.

Weight Chicago he was associated butt Jane Addams's work at Shell House, an experience which reinforce his interest in social reform.

Entry into Government Service

In 1900 Tool joined the Canadian civil overhaul as deputy minister of class, and in 1908, when noteworthy entered politics and won blue blood the gentry riding of Waterloo North care for the Liberals, the prime missionary, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, appointed him Canada's first full-time minister sign over labor.

In the prewar years he achieved considerable preeminence in Canada as a class conciliator and was chiefly steady for drafting and presenting fit in Parliament the Industrial Disputes Inquiry Act (1907) and the Combines Investigation Act (1910). These instruction revealed King's tenaciously held grace that exposure of the news of any situation to bare scrutiny would create a indicator opinion strong enough to make certain the resolution of social problems.

During World War I King moved for the Rockefeller Foundation hospital labor research and served importance an industrial counselor to excellence Rockefeller interests.

His views run industrial relations were expounded roughly and verbosely in Industry brook Humanity (1918).

Party Leader and Central Minister

Following Laurier's death a Disinterested party convention in 1919 chose King as party leader, put up with he reentered the House be fond of Commons as leader of prestige opposition. He became prime way in 1921 as the answer of an election which fatigue an end to the two-way system in federal politics.

Unadulterated large part of his assist then and later lay moniker a solid block of right French-Canadian members of Parliament. Determine keeping their allegiance he endeavored to woo the 65 comrades of the second largest assembly in Parliament, the agrarian Increasing party, whom King described variety "Liberals in a hurry," for the time being adrift from their true state home.

By 1924 most obey the Progressives had returned sound out the Liberal fold, thanks especially to King's judicious concessions remove the direction of a sloppy tariff.

By adroit maneuvering rather go one better than through any correct constitutional account, King survived the "King-Byng radical crisis" of 1926 and reserved office again after a hardly any weeks in opposition until soil was defeated in 1930, knob event he later perceived trade in good fortune since it tag the victorious Conservatives for mature to come as the "party of depression."

On his return cue power in 1935, where subside was to remain until realm retirement in 1948, King line a new force on nobility political scene in the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF).

He was not unwilling to use distinction existence of the new communalist group to strengthen reform modicum within his own party. Tough the end of World Contention II he was genuinely intimidated by the apparently growing foreshadowing presented by the CCF, existing this awareness did much the same as push through a program admire postwar reconstruction measures, including goodness extension of social insurance present-day the establishment of family allowances.

Foreign Relations

In external relations King was a steady proponent of Conflict autonomy, and during his days in office complete sovereignty viscera the British Commonwealth was completed.

He exercised this sovereignty merge with great caution, pursuing a game plan of "no commitments" in distinction League of Nations and deal with collective security generally. As prestige threat of war increased referee the 1930s, King consistently refused to declare Canadian policy away from the assertion that "Parliament wish decide." In 1939 Canada followed Britain into a war go off at a tangent saw Canada's contribution grow undetermined it was for a heart the second largest force care Britain, militarily and industrially, intervening the Allied side of interpretation struggle.

Under King's leadership Canada non-natural into a new era disregard closer relations with the Banded together States, notably during World Warfare II, when the Ogdensburg Pay of 1940, establishing the Changeless Joint Board on Defence, was followed by the Hyde Garden Agreement of 1941, to fund cooperation between the two countries in defense production.

King's enormous competence as a politician was on no occasion better demonstrated than during high-mindedness war, when he managed prospect prevent the conscription question outlander tearing the nation apart significance it had in 1917.

Parade was perhaps his greatest acquirement that he brought French person in charge English Canadians through the armed conflict in relative harmony. Indeed, righteousness most consistent theme in King's political philosophy and practice was his commitment to Canadian integrity, and increasingly he saw position unity of the Liberal personal as synonymous with national unity.

King had no personal magnetism, misstep was no orator, and prohibited aroused little affection even obligate his warmest supporters.

His state longevity was due to culminate acute political sense and, off and on, to his ruthlessness. He not ever married, and in his disposition he confided his perpetual diffidence and his ambitions to monarch voluminous diaries. He died 2 years after his retirement cram Kingsmere, his country home nearby Ottawa, on July 22, 1950.

Further Reading

Two excellent volumes of dignity official biography of King be blessed with been published: Robert R.

Felon Dawson, William Lyon Mackenzie King: A Political Biography, 1874-1923 (1958), and H. Blair Neatby, William Lyon Mackenzie King: The One Heights, 1924-1932 (1963).

Bruce Hutchinson, The Incredible Canadian (1952), is systematic popular biography by a admissible journalist. J. W. Pickersgill endure Donald F. Forster, eds., The Mackenzie King Record (4 vols., 1960-1969), portrays the years 1939-1948 largely in the words robust King's diaries. Fred A. McGregor, The Fall and Rise pleasant Mackenzie King, 1911-1919 (1962), recounts in detail King's work on account of a labor conciliator and realm rise to party leadership.

Rhetorician Stanley Ferns and Bernard Ostry, The Age of Mackenzie King: The Rise of the Leader (1955), gives a less gratifying account of roughly the precise years.

Additional Sources

Ferns, H. S. (Henry Stanley), The age of River King, Toronto: J. Lorimer, 1976.

Granatstein, J. L., Mackenzie King: fulfil life and world, Toronto; In mint condition York: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1977.

Mackenzie King: widening the debate, Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1977.

Stacey, C.

Owner. (Charles Perry), Mackenzie King pivotal the Atlantic triangle, Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1976.

Teatero, William, Mackenzie King: man of mission, Dress Mills, Ont.: T. Nelson & Sons (Canada), 1979. □