Arthur Meighen
A fiercely intellectual prime minister whose sharp legal mind defined his brief but consequential terms, reshaping Canada's political landscape.
1874–1960 (age 86)·Prime Minister of Canada (1920–1921; 1926)·Birthday: June 16·The Gilded Age
Biography
Arthur Meighen emerged from a Port Hope, Ontario, law practice to become one of Canada's most formidable political intellects. His rise in the Conservative Party was fueled by a brilliant, almost surgical, command of parliamentary procedure and debate, making him a formidable opponent for William Lyon Mackenzie King. His first term as Prime Minister in 1920 was short, but his legacy was cemented by his unwavering, controversial stance during the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, where he advocated for strong federal intervention. Returning to power for a mere three months in 1926, his tenure ended in the dramatic 'King-Byng Affair,' a constitutional crisis that ultimately defined his career. After a later stint in the Senate, he remained a sharp commentator, a politician whose principles often clashed with the pragmatic demands of public life.
The Gilded Age
1860–1882
Born during or after the Civil War, they built industrial America — the railroads, the steel mills, the first skyscrapers. An era of massive wealth, massive inequality, and the belief that the future belonged to whoever could build it fastest.
Arthur was born in 1874, placing them squarely in The Gilded Age. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arthur Was Born
The biggest hits of 1874
Arthur's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1874Born
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1879Started school
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1887Became a teenager
President: Grover Cleveland
1890Could drive
Wounded Knee massacre marks the end of the Indian Wars
President: Benjamin Harrison
1892Could vote
President: Benjamin Harrison
1895Turned 21
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
1904Turned 30
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1914Turned 40
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1924Turned 50
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1934Turned 60
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1944Turned 70
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1954Turned 80
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1960Died at 86
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
Key Achievements
- Served as the ninth Prime Minister of Canada across two non-consecutive terms in the early 20th century.
- Played a central role in the 1926 King-Byng Affair, a pivotal moment in Canadian constitutional history.
- Was a key architect of the Military Service Act of 1917, which instituted conscription during World War I.
- Led the Conservative Party during two separate periods, in the 1920s and again during World War II.
Did You Know?
He was the first Prime Minister born after Confederation.
Meighen was a skilled debater known for his powerful memory and rarely used notes in the House of Commons.
After politics, he served as the Chancellor of Queen's University in Kingston from 1947 to 1952.
His 1926 government is the shortest ever in Canadian history for a Prime Minister who had previously held the office.
“I have too much respect for the intelligence of my fellow citizens to believe for a moment that they will be deceived.”
