William King Prime Minister of Canada Date of Birth: 17.12.1874 Country: Canada

Biography of William King

William King, known as Mackenzie King, was born on December 17, 1874 in Berlin (now Kitchener), Ontario. He obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, his master's degree from the University of Chicago, and his doctorate from Harvard University. In 1900, he became a civil servant, serving as the Deputy Minister of the newly created Ministry of Labour. As part of his role, he edited the "Labour Gazette" newspaper. During his time as a civil servant, King played a significant role in the legislative process, particularly in the development of the 1907 law on investigating industrial disputes, which aimed to establish a system for resolving labor conflicts.

In 1909, King left the civil service to pursue a political career. He was elected as a Member of Parliament for his hometown of Waterloo and was later appointed as the Minister of Labour in Sir Wilfrid Laurier's cabinet. During his tenure as a minister, King initiated the passage of laws that strengthened the government's control over trusts, monopolies, and cartels. However, his support for mutually beneficial trade relations between Canada and the United States became a stumbling block for his party in the 1911 elections, resulting in his loss of a seat in the House of Commons.

From 1911 to 1921, King worked as a political organizer, journalist, and labor relations expert. In 1914, he became the Director of Research Programs at the Rockefeller Foundation and advised J.D. Rockefeller and his son on labor relations during their significant conflicts with unions in Colorado. After the establishment of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company union, King held advisory positions on labor relations in major American industrial corporations. He also wrote a book, "Industry and Humanity" (1918), in which he expressed his views on the role of the state and labor relations.

In the 1917 elections, King attempted to return to national politics. Following Laurier's death in 1919, King was elected as the leader of the Liberal Party. Under his leadership, the Liberal Party achieved its largest number of seats in the House of Commons in the 1921 elections.

During his first term as Prime Minister from 1921 to 1925, King pursued a conservative domestic policy aimed at resolving the social and political upheavals caused by World War I. In the 1925 elections, the Liberal Party lost some seats, but King attempted to hold onto his position. However, allegations of corruption within the customs department led to the defeat of the government in the House of Commons. King advised Governor General Lord Byng to dissolve Parliament and call for new elections, but Byng did not follow this advice and instead asked Conservative Party leader Arthur Meighen to form a government. Meighen, unable to secure a majority in the House of Commons, also advocated for the dissolution of Parliament, which was accepted. In the 1926 elections, King appealed to voters to support the constitutional principle that the Governor General must follow the advice of his ministers. King and his party won the elections and obtained a majority in the House of Commons. The parliamentary crisis of 1926 sparked a discussion on the constitutional relationship between the dominions and the British government. Over the next five years, the role of the Governor General was adjusted, shifting from a representative of the British government to a personal representative of the British Crown. The independent status of the dominions within the Commonwealth and the international community was solidified by the Statute of Westminster (1931).

The Great Depression of 1929 led to the defeat of the Liberals in the 1930 elections. As an opposition member, King became a keen observer of the mistakes made by the Conservative government. However, his policies would not have significantly deviated from the conservative course. Despite his sympathy for progressive and liberal values, he did not enthusiastically support the "New Deal" policies of American President Franklin D. Roosevelt and never advocated for state intervention in the economy to mitigate the effects of the depression in Canada. In 1935, the Liberals achieved a significant victory in the elections, and King assumed the position of Prime Minister, which he held until his resignation in 1948. In the face of the growing power of Nazi Germany, King supported the policy of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, which was based on moderate rearmament and concessions aimed at appeasing Germany. After Canada's entry into World War II, King aligned his policies more closely with the United States. The transition of the Canadian economy to a war footing yielded impressive results in industrial and agricultural production.

During the two post-war years, King actively supported the idea of creating the United Nations. In August 1948, he stepped down as the leader of the Liberal Party, and on November 15, he resigned as Prime Minister and Member of Parliament. King passed away on July 22, 1950, at his country home in Kingsmere near Ottawa.