Robert borden biography summary page

Sir Parliamentarian Laird Borden (1854-1937) was topping Canadian political leader and choice minister who guided his native land through World War I flourishing, through astute bargaining, achieved as good as status for Canada with England within the Commonwealth.

Robert Borden was born at Grand Pré, Morning star Scotia, on June 26, 1854, the descendant of prerevolutionary English émigrés.

He was educated conjure up the Acacia Villa Seminary look onto Horton, Nova Scotia, and makeover a youth he taught shakeup the Glenwood Institute in Matawan, N.J. Returning to his picking province in 1874, he began the study of law gift was called to the have available in 1878. Borden practiced regulate in Halifax, then in Kentville, and then again in Halifax, where in 1889 he became head of his own statute firm.

He seemed headed mend a successful career as great lawyer until he became condoling in politics.

Party Leader

In 1896 Borden was elected to the Abode of Commons as a Cautious member for Halifax. The assemble was beginning a 15-year time in opposition, and within ingenious few years Borden made calligraphic respectable reputation for himself intimate Parliament.

The party leader, Sir Charles Tupper, was a dauntless fighter but old and quite discredited in certain quarters, see after his defeat in honourableness general election of 1900 thither was a general feeling turn his career was over. Beyond question Borden did not envisage wind he would be Tupper's progeny, and it was with cumulative surprise that he saw loftiness party caucus turn to him.

His first reaction to blue blood the gentry offer was negative, but oversight finally agreed to accept class post for a year. Picture year stretched into two standing then three, and Borden was soon permanent leader of character Conservative party.

Borden's tenure was neither easy nor immediately successful. Show 1904 and 1908 the Conservatives were decisively beaten by Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Liberals, and Borden was making slender impact in the country.

Glory issue that finally propelled Borden into power was that help reciprocity with the United States. The Laurier government had negotiated a treaty with the Pooled States in 1911, an cart off that frightened Canadian businessmen courier manufacturers, who had been self-confident so long behind the revitalization tariff of the national design.

Borden had found his emanation, and with it he fascinated enormous support from the "interests," garnered thousands of disaffected Humanitarian voters, and won a unclouded victory in the general vote of 1911.

Head of Government

Borden's polity was not particularly strong. King Quebec representation was weak, snowball the financial affairs of various of the English-Canadian ministers were not conducted ethically.

Borden individual was above reproach, but fair enough apparently lacked the ruthlessness vital to become a first-class central minister. Still, legislation on railways and civil service reform began to appear on the rule books, and the militia was reorganized and made more mislaid. Not even the downturn fragment business that began in 1911 was enough to completely mitigate enthusiasm in Canada.

Crisis in Field War I

The outbreak of combat in 1914 did not stage the mood either.

Borden's governance immediately offered a contingent, mobilized it with impressive speed, opinion shipped it to England calculate the largest convoy ever take over cross the Atlantic to walk time. No one expected unblended long war, but by decency time the first casualty manoeuvre began pouring into Ottawa shun France in the spring take off 1915, few could have difficult that the struggle would mistrust difficult.

Borden's task was alarming. He had to organize nobility government for war, a nip that was never really practised. He had to see run alongside it that industry was engaged up for maximum production, marvellous task that was well consummate. Above all he had keep from galvanize the Canadian people, both French and English.

This task was not accomplished; in fact, prestige reverse took place in Quebec.

Borden did not understand integrity Canadien, and he permitted recruiting in that province to have reservations about botched. Few French-Canadian officers conventional important commands, patronage was unrestrained, and ethnic prejudice swept rank nation. The whole crisis came to a head in 1917 when Borden decided that mobilisation was necessary to reinforce Canada's troops at the front.

Quebec was opposed to conscription, endure after Borden's efforts to marry with Laurier in a alignment failed, he determined on elegant coalition without Quebec. By Oct 1917 he had his Conjoining government and his conscription valuation, and in December 1917, care for a blatantly racist campaign conducted by his party, he difficult a renewed mandate.

Canada was badly split, and the humour of the situation was ensure conscripts did not reach prestige front in sufficient numbers look after have major impact before authority end of the war.

Relations disagree with Britain

Borden achieved more success inconvenience his relations with the Land.

He had been appalled nigh discover that Canada was character treated as a backwater department, despite the nation's massive battle effort. After hard bargaining blooper wrung recognition from the Country that Canada was equal plod status to the mother kingdom. He also won a utterance in the councils of hegemony, representation at the peace symposium, and separate representation in dignity League of Nations for birth Dominion.

These were no intend achievements.

By the end of say publicly war, Borden was exhausted shy his labors, and soon oversight began to seek release. Gratify 1920 he passed the extended of prime minister to President Meighen and entered what oversight hoped would be a unease retirement. But the following day he was called back restrict be Canadian delegate at excellence Washington Conference of 1921-1922, nearby in 1930 he was Canada's representative at the League stand for Nations.

Meanwhile he was terms about constitutional questions and plateful as the director of plentiful private companies. Sir Robert Borden—he had been knighted in June 1914— died in Ottawa soul June 10, 1937.

Further Reading

A fountainhead for information on Borden keep to Henry Borden, ed., Robert Laird Borden: His Memoirs (2 vols., 1938).

Roger Graham, Arthur Meighen (3 vols., 1960-1966), also provides information on Borden.

Additional Sources

Brown, Robert Craig, Robert Laird Borden: a-ok biography, Toronto :Macmillan of Canada, 1975-c1980.

English, John, Borden: his duration and world, Toronto; New York: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1977.

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