William Lyon

Mackenzie King

Powerful Politician
In 1919 he was selected as successor to Sir Wilfrid
Laurier in the leadership of the Liberal party and was
elected to the House of Commons in 1919 (Leader of
the Opposition)
1921 he became prime minister after Arthur Meighen
1926 he is defeated and resigned
Later in 1926 during the general election he and the
Liberals carry the election and King is prime minister
once again until 1930 when he was defeated
1935 he returns to power as prime minister until his
resignation in 1948

When Prime Ministers

Could be Weird
King had an achingly dull public image but his
diaries revealed that seances, table-rapping
sessions and communing with the likes of William
Gladstone, Wilfrid Laurier and others who had
passed away were part of his daily life
At breakfast he paid attention to the tea leaves
and before heading off to work, he would talk
with his dog, Pat.

 "At luncheon, in looking at my tea-cup, I saw very

clearly a soldier in uniform standing with his legs
apart as though over a sort of open space with
objects on either side which might have been
bodies of men or lumps of earth. I showed the
cup to MacLeod. Asked him what he saw. He said
without a word with me: a soldier standing with
his legs apart. I said to him it probably has
reference to the war in Africa." (Diary, February 7,
1941)

 But the paradox is that the King governed in a

pragmatic, even handed and effective manner.
His decision-making wasnt off the wall at all. King
benefitted from his background as a labour
negotiator and was the ultimate compromiser. He
defined the centrist politics that shaped the
Liberal Party for decades to follow.