Louis Stephen St Laurent

Louis Stephen St. Laurent , 1882-1973, Canadian political leader. A well-known lawyer, he entered (1941) political life as minister of justice and attorney general in the Mackenzie King government; he was later minister of external affairs (1946-48). He was elected to the House of Commons in 1942 and succeeded King as Liberal party leader, taking office (Nov., 1948) as prime minister after King's retirement. His party failed to obtain a majority of votes in 1957, and John G. Diefenbaker, a Conservative, succeeded him as prime minister. On his retirement in 1958 Lester B. Pearson became Liberal party leader.

Bibliography: See biography by D. C. Thomson (1968).

St Laurent, Louis Stephen (1882–1973) French-Canadian lawyer and statesman. As Minister of Justice (1941–46) he upheld limited military conscription during World War II in the face of widespread French-Canadian opposition. In 1946 he became Secretary of State for External Affairs. Having succeeded Mackenzie KING as Prime Minister of Canada (1948–57), he played a significant part in setting up the NATO alliance, and did much to raise the international reputation of Canada. Significant constitutional changes were also made during his administration, with the word “Dominion” being dropped from Canada's official name and Newfoundland becoming the tenth Province in 1949. After overwhelming victories in 1949 and 1953, he was defeated in the election of 1957. As only the second French-Canadian to become Prime Minister, St Laurent gave notable service in the promotion of good relations between English- and French-speaking Canadians.

St Laurent, Louis Stephen (b. 1 Feb. 1882, d. 25 July 1973). Prime Minister of Canada 1948–57 Born at Compton (Quebec), he studied law at Laval University and was appointed law professor there in 1914. A successful lawyer, he was president of the Canadian Bar Association (1930–2), and in 1937 became an adviser to a Royal Commission on national-provincial relations. Despite his complete lack of political experience, Mackenzie King made him Minister of Justice in December 1941, whereupon he was elected to Parliament in 1942. The only minister from Quebec, he supported Mackenzie King's introduction of conscription for service overseas despite the fierce opposition of most of his home province. He became responsible for external affairs in 1946, and in 1948 succeeded Mackenzie King as leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister. A grandfatherly figure with a sharp mind, he extended Mackenzie King's careful beginning of a welfare state through broadening old-age pensions and introducing hospital insurance. He backed Pearson's support for NATO and the UN, while he oversaw the integration of Newfoundland into Canada. Despite overwhelming election victories in 1949 and 1953, he appeared increasingly inactive, and was caught out by Diefenbaker's well-organized Progressive Conservative Party during the 1957 elections. He resigned as party leader in 1958 and withdrew from politics.