83 Facts About Wilfrid Laurier

Wilfrid Laurier studied law at McGill University and practised as a lawyer before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in 1871.

Wilfrid Laurier was then elected as a member of Parliament in the 1874 federal election.

Wilfrid Laurier came to be known as a great orator.

Wilfrid Laurier lost the 1891 federal election to Prime Minister John A Macdonald's Conservatives.

Wilfrid Laurier paved the Liberal Party to three more election victories afterwards.

Wilfrid Laurier's government sought a middle ground between the two groups, deciding to send a volunteer force to fight in the Boer War and passing the 1910 Naval Service Act to create Canada's own navy.

Wilfrid Laurier's proposed reciprocity agreement with the United States to lower tariffs became a main issue in the 1911 federal election, in which the Liberals were defeated by the Conservatives led by Robert Borden, who claimed that the treaty would lead to the US influencing Canadian identity.

The anti-conscription faction of the Liberal Party, led by Wilfrid Laurier, became the Wilfrid Laurier Liberals, though the group would be heavily defeated by Borden's Unionists in the 1917 federal election.

Wilfrid Laurier remained Opposition leader even after his 1917 defeat, but was not able to fight in another election as he died in 1919.

Wilfrid Laurier is ranked among the top three of Canadian prime ministers.

At 31 years and 8 months, Wilfrid Laurier is the longest-serving leader of a major Canadian political party.

Wilfrid Laurier is the fourth-longest serving prime minister of Canada, behind Pierre Trudeau, Macdonald, and William Lyon Mackenzie King.

The second child of Carolus Laurier and Marcelle Martineau, Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier was born in Saint-Lin, Canada East, on November 20,1841.

Wilfrid Laurier grew up in a family where politics was a staple of talk and debate.

At the age of 11, Wilfrid Laurier left home to study in New Glasgow, Quebec, a neighbouring village largely inhabited by immigrants from Scotland.

In 1854, Wilfrid Laurier attended the College de L'Assomption, an institution that staunchly followed Roman Catholicism.

In September 1861, Wilfrid Laurier began studying law at McGill University.

Wilfrid Laurier discovered that he had chronic bronchitis, an illness that would stick with him for the rest of his life.

At McGill, Wilfrid Laurier joined the Parti Rouge, or Red Party, which was a centre-left political party that contested elections in Canada East.

Wilfrid Laurier would continue being active within the Parti Rouge, and from May 1864 to fall 1866, served as vice president of the Institut canadien de Montreal, a literary society with ties to the Rouge.

Wilfrid Laurier then practised law in Montreal, though he initially struggled as a lawyer.

Wilfrid Laurier opened his first practice on October 27,1864, but closed it within a month.

Wilfrid Laurier established his second office, but that closed within three months, due to a lack of clients.

In March 1865, nearly bankrupt, Wilfrid Laurier established his third law firm, partnering with Mederic Lanctot, a lawyer and journalist who staunchly opposed Confederation.

Wilfrid Laurier moved to Victoriaville and began writing and controlling the newspaper from January 1,1867.

Wilfrid Laurier would make some money, but not enough to consider himself wealthy.

Wilfrid Laurier resigned from the provincial legislature to enter federal politics as a Liberal.

Wilfrid Laurier gained considerable attention when he delivered a speech on political liberalism on June 26,1877, in front of about 2,000 people.

From October 1877 to October 1878, Wilfrid Laurier served briefly in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mackenzie as minister of inland revenue.

Wilfrid Laurier won reelection for Quebec East in the 1878 federal election, though the Liberals suffered a landslide defeat as a result of their mishandling of the Panic of 1873.

Wilfrid Laurier called on Mackenzie to resign as leader, not least because of his handling of the economy.

The Liberals were in opposition , and Wilfrid Laurier made use of that status, expressing his support for laissez-faire economics and provincial rights.

Wilfrid Laurier continued to make speeches opposing the Conservative government's policies, though nothing notable came until 1885, when he spoke out against the execution of Metis activist Louis Riel, who was hung by Macdonald's government authorities after leading the North-West Rebellion.

Blake urged Wilfrid Laurier to run for leadership of the party.

At first, Wilfrid Laurier refused as he was not keen to take such a powerful position, but later on accepted.

Wilfrid Laurier was now a prominent politician who was known for leading the Quebec branch of the Liberal Party, known for defending French Canadian rights, and known for being a great orator who was a fierce parliamentary speaker.

Wilfrid Laurier campaigned in favour of reciprocity, or free trade, with the United States, contrary to Macdonald's position on the matter, who claimed that reciprocity would lead to American annexation of Canada.

On June 20 and 21,1893, Wilfrid Laurier convened a Liberal convention in Ottawa.

Wilfrid Laurier subsequently undertook a series of speaking tours to campaign on the convention's results.

Wilfrid Laurier visited Western Canada in September and October 1894, promising to relax the Conservatives' National Policy, open the American market, and increase immigration.

Tupper faced Wilfrid Laurier in the 1896 federal election, in which the schools dispute was a key issue.

Wilfrid Laurier's win was made possible by his sweep in Quebec.

Wilfrid Laurier opposed the remedial legislation on the basis of provincial rights and succeeded in blocking its passage by Parliament.

Once elected, Wilfrid Laurier reached a compromise with the provincial premier, Thomas Greenway.

Wilfrid Laurier called his effort to lessen the tinder in this issue "sunny ways".

Wilfrid Laurier's government introduced and initiated the idea of constructing a second transcontinental railway, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway.

Wilfrid Laurier was in favour of a transcontinental line built entirely on Canadian land by private enterprise.

Wilfrid Laurier's government constructed a third railway: the National Transcontinental Railway.

Wilfrid Laurier believed that competition between the three railways would force one of the three, the Canadian Pacific Railway, to lower freight rates and thus please Western shippers who would contribute to the competition between the railways.

Wilfrid Laurier initially reached out to Grand Trunk Railway and Canadian Northern Railway to build the National Transcontinental railway, but after disagreements emerged between the two companies, Wilfrid Laurier's government opted to build part of the railway itself.

Wilfrid Laurier's government gained criticism from the public due to the heavy cost to construct the railway.

On September 1,1905, through the Alberta Act and the Saskatchewan Act, Wilfrid Laurier oversaw Alberta and Saskatchewan's entry into Confederation, the last two provinces to be created out of the Northwest Territories.

Wilfrid Laurier decided to create two provinces, arguing that one large province would be too difficult to govern.

Scholars have argued that Wilfrid Laurier acted in terms of his racist views in restricting immigration from China and India, as shown by his support for the Chinese head tax.

In 1900, Wilfrid Laurier raised the Chinese head tax to $100.

The order was cancelled on October 5,1911, the day before Wilfrid Laurier left office, by cabinet claiming that the minister of the interior was not present at the time of approval.

In March 1906, Wilfrid Laurier's government introduced the Lord's Day Act after being persuaded by the Lord's Day Alliance.

In 1907, Wilfrid Laurier's government passed the Industrial Disputes Investigation Act, which mandated conciliation for employers and workers before any strike in public utilities or mines, but did not make it necessary for the groups to accept the conciliators' report.

On June 22,1897, Wilfrid Laurier attended the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, which was the 60th anniversary of her coronation.

Wilfrid Laurier again visited the United Kingdom in 1902, taking part in the 1902 Colonial Conference and the coronation of King Edward VII on 9 August 1902.

Wilfrid Laurier took part in the 1907 and 1911 Imperial Conferences.

Wilfrid Laurier was caught between demands for support for military action from English Canada and a strong opposition from French Canada, which saw the Boer War as an English war.

Wilfrid Laurier eventually decided to send a volunteer force, rather than the militia expected by Britain.

On June 1,1909, Wilfrid Laurier's government established the Department of External Affairs for Canada to take greater control of its foreign policy.

Wilfrid Laurier wanted to establish who owned the Lynn Canal and who controlled maritime access to the Yukon.

In 1897, Wilfrid Laurier's government impelemented a preferential reduction of a tariff rate of 12.5 percent for countries that imported Canadian goods at a rate equivalent to the minimum Canadian charge; rates for countries that imposed a protective duty against Canada remained the same.

Wilfrid Laurier's government introduced a "three-column tariff", which added a new intermediate rate alongside the existing British preferential rate and the general rate.

Wilfrid Laurier led the Liberals to three re-elections in 1900,1904, and 1908.

Wilfrid Laurier was an influential opponent of conscription, and his position on the matter was applauded by French Canadians, who were generally anti-conscription.

Wilfrid Laurier refused to join the Unionist Party, and instead created the "Wilfrid Laurier Liberals", a party composed of Liberals opposed to conscription.

Wilfrid Laurier rejected Prime Minister Borden's proposal to form a coalition government composed of both Conservatives and Liberals, arguing that there would be no "real" opposition to the government.

Wilfrid Laurier argued that if the Liberals joined, Quebec would feel alienated and would lead to the province being heavily influenced by outspoken French-Canadian nationalist Henri Bourassa, and what Laurier called Bourassa's "dangerous nationalism" which might lead to Quebec seceding from Canada.

Wilfrid Laurier swept Quebec, winning 62 out of 65 of the province's seats, not least due to the French Canadians' overwhelming respect and support for Wilfrid Laurier as a result of his opposition to conscription.

Wilfrid Laurier was now seen as a "traitor" to English Canadians and English Canadian Liberals, whereas he was seen as a "hero" for French Canadians.

Wilfrid Laurier died of a stroke on February 17,1919, while still in office as leader of the Opposition.

Wilfrid Laurier's remains would eventually be placed in a stone sarcophagus, adorned by sculptures of nine mourning female figures, representing each of the provinces in the union.

Wilfrid Laurier was permanently succeeded as Liberal leader by his former minister of labour, William Lyon Mackenzie King.

Wilfrid Laurier married Zoe Lafontaine in Montreal on May 13,1868.

Wilfrid Laurier's wife Zoe was born in Montreal and educated there at the School of the Bon Pasteur, and at the Convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, St Vincent de Paul.

Wilfrid Laurier served as one of the vice presidents on the formation of the National Council of Women and was honorary vice president of the Victorian Order of Nurses.

Wilfrid Laurier worked all his life for cooperation between French- and English-speaking Canadians while he strove to keep Canada as independent as possible from Britain.

In November 2011, Wilfrid Laurier University located in Waterloo, Ontario, unveiled a statue depicting a young Wilfrid Laurier sitting on a bench, thinking.

Wilfrid Laurier advised the Governor General to appoint the following individuals to the Supreme Court of Canada:.