Arthur Meighen

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Arthur Meighen

Arthur Meighen , 1874-1960, Canadian political leader, b. Ontario. A lawyer, he began his career in Manitoba. Entering (1908) the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal-Conservative, he became solicitor general (1913), secretary of state and minister of mines (1917), and minister of the interior (1917). He was chosen prime minister in 1920 but resigned in 1921 after his defeat in the general election. As leader of the Conservative party, Meighen was again prime minister in 1926 but resigned within the year. In 1932, Richard B. Bennett appointed him to the Senate, from which he resigned in 1941 to contest a seat for the House of Commons. Defeated, he retired to private life.

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Meighen, Arthur

A Dictionary of World History | 2000 | Â© A Dictionary of World History 2000, originally published by Oxford University Press 2000. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Meighen, Arthur (1874–1960) Canadian Conservative politician, Prime Minister (1920–21; 1926). Meighen advocated a protective system of trade tariffs. His second term was curtailed by his party's defeat in the House of Commons and at the subsequent general election.

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Meighen, Arthur

A Dictionary of Contemporary World History | 2004 | | Â© A Dictionary of Contemporary World History 2004, originally published by Oxford University Press 2004. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Meighen, Arthur (b. 16 June 1874, d. 5 Aug. 1960). Prime Minister of Canada 1920–1, 1926 Born at Anderson (Ontario), he graduated from the University of Toronto and opened a law practice in Manitoba. He entered the House of Commons as a Conservative (Progressive Conservative Party) in 1908, and became Solicitor-General under Borden, 1913–17. As Minister of the Interior (1917–20) he was responsible for some of the most important legislation of World War I, such as the creation and nationalization of Canadian National Railways and the introduction of compulsory military service overseas. His suppression of the general strike in Winnipeg (1919) earned him the lasting hostility of the labour movement. Nevertheless, he became leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister in 1920. He lost the 1921 general elections owing to the rise of the Progressive Party, though the Conservatives recovered sufficiently to become the largest party in 1925. Mackenzie King's government with the support of the Progressive Party collapsed in 1926, whereupon Meighen formed a minority government which lasted three months. Defeated in the ensuing elections, he retired as party leader. In 1932 he entered the Senate, and in 1941 was recalled to lead the Conservatives. He failed to enter the House of Commons in a by-election in 1942, however, and withdrew from politics.

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	PWGSC: Gormley, Ont., Company Wins $1.3M Contract to Work on Arthur Meighen Building in Toronto. News Wire article from: Canadian Corporate News; 10/25/2001; 655 words ; ...million to upgrade the heating and cooling systems at the Arthur Meighen Building, a Government of Canada building located...RCMP; Health Canada; and the Passport Office. Arthur Meighen was Canada's ninth prime minister. Funding for this...
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	You don't vote for Kings: legitimate political power derives from a mandate from the masses--that's today's theory. But in practice, Canada's governing elites historically have often tried their best to snub the masses. The road to today's universal adult franchise has been not only incremental, it's often been corrupt, violent, and not awfully democratic. Magazine article from: The Beaver: Exploring Canada's History; 4/1/2007; ; 700+ words ; ...themselves to vote Conservative would be disenfranchised." Arthur Meighen, the federal solicitor general, wrote to Prime Minister...women could meet the "foreign population difficulty." Meighen wasn't enthused about giving women the vote but hoped...
	St. James-Assiniboia trustees prepare to pick school's name Newspaper article from: Winnipeg Free Press; 11/2/2006; ; 700+ words ; ...amalgamation in the last two years. This fall, Portage Collegiate Institute and Arthur Meighen High School were merged at the PCI site downtown, while Meighen was converted to a middle years school. Portage la Prairie trustees originally decided...
	That King-Byng thing: often dismissed as mere figureheads, Canada's governors general still hold the trump card when Parliament comes calling. Magazine article from: The Beaver: Exploring Canada's History; 12/1/2008; ; 700+ words ; ...general of Canada since 1921--said no, and swore in Arthur Meighen as the new prime minister. Byng was correct in that decision, most historians agree. Since Meighen's Conservatives, who actually held more seats than...
	Harper's scofflaw election strategy.(Opinion) Newspaper article from: The Toronto Star (Toronto, Ontario); 9/6/2008; 700+ words ; ...to dissolve Parliament. Byng refused and invited the leader of the opposition, Arthur Meighen, to form a government. In contrast to today, however, Meighen and the Conservatives held more seats than King. Second, parliamentary law cannot...
	A nation born in broccoli Newspaper article from: Winnipeg Free Press; 7/6/2009; ; 700+ words ; ...Bennett's memorial "resembled a mummy." Another of Arthur Meighen made him look like "a mix between Ichabod Crane and Daddy Longlegs." The citizens of St. Marys, Ont., Meighen's birthplace, didn't mind: They set the monument...