The Lost Prime Ministers : Macdonald's Successors Abbott, Thompson, Bowell, and Tupper

From 1891 to 1896, between John A. Macdonald’s and Wilfrid Laurier’s tenures, four "lesser-known men," John Abbott, John Thompson, Mackenzie Bowell, and Charles Tupper, served as Prime Ministers of Canada in rapid succession. All were members of the Conservative Party. The first among them was John Joseph Caldwell Abbott (1821-1892), the first Canadian-born and Quebec-born Prime Minister, who assumed the office on June 15, 1891, and officially retired for health reasons (cancer of the brain) on December 4, 1892, although John Thompson had been acting for him since August of that year. Abbott was born in St. Andrews East (now known as Saint-André-d'Argenteuil), and during his life was a lawyer, businessman, educator, militia officer, and gentleman farmer. From 1855 to 1880, he served as professor and dean of the Faculty of Law at McGill University, and in 1881 was appointed a member of the university's Board of Governors. Abbott was the Mayor of Montreal for two terms, 1887 and 1888. Abbott stood for election to the House of Commons seven times, all in the constituency of Argenteuil, and was elected six times. He was appointed to the Senate in 1887.

Toronto, ON

Dundurn Press

2022

280p.

en

978-1-4597-4932-0