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Wilfrid Laurier

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Wilfrid Laurier

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Also known as Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Sir Wilfred Laurier, Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, Hon. Sir Wilfrid Laurier

7th prime minister of Canada (1841-1919)

OverviewAI-generated

Wilfrid Laurier (1841–1919) was a Canadian politician, lawyer, journalist, and essayist. Born Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier in Saint-Lin–Laurentides, he was a member of the Liberal Party of Canada and a Catholic. He worked in Ottawa and spoke both French and English, writing in French. Laurier was married to Zoé Laurier.

His published works include *La liberté des debats et de la discussion publique*, *Speech on the transcontinental railway*, *1871-1890*, *Wilfrid Laurier à la tribune*, *Le Canada et la marine*, and *Manifeste de Laurier*. He is described in sources such as the *Encyclopædia Britannica* 11th edition and *The Nuttall Encyclopædia*.

Laurier died in Ottawa from a stroke. He is buried in Notre-Dame Cemetery.

Synthesized by Vinony from 30 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, Crossref, Open Library, MusicBrainz, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born
1841
Died
1919
Works
83

Top works

  • La liberté des debats et de la discussion publique
  • Speech on the transcontinental railway
  • 1871-1890, Wilfrid Laurier à la tribune
  • Le Canada et la marine
  • Manifeste de Laurier

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Country
NZ

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Quotes

  • Whether splendidly isolated or dangerously isolated, I will not now debate; but for my part, I think splendidly isolated, because this isolation of England comes from her superiority.

via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA

Key facts

Monarchs
Victoria Edward VII George V
Governors general
The Earl of Aberdeen The Earl of Minto The Earl Grey
Preceded by
Charles Tupper
Succeeded by
Robert Borden
Prime minister
Alexander Mackenzie
Born
Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier , ( 1841-11-20 ) November 20, 1841, Saint-Lin , Canada East, United Province of Canada
Died
February 17, 1919 (1919-02-17) (aged 77), Ottawa , Ontario, Canada
Resting place
Notre Dame Cemetery , Ottawa, Ontario
Party
Liberal
Other political affiliations
Laurier Liberal (1917–1919)
Spouse
Zoé Lafontaine ​ ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1868 ) ​
Education
McGill University ( LL.L. , 1864)
Profession
Lawyer
Allegiance
Canada
Branch service
Canadian militia
Years of service
1869–1878
Rank
Ensign , Lieutenant
Unit
Arthabaskaville Infantry Company

via Wikipedia infobox

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minister, his 15-year tenure remains the longest uninterrupted term of office among Canadian prime ministers and his nearly 45 years of service in the House of Commons is a record for the House. Laurier is best known for his compromises between English and French Canada.

Laurier studied law at McGill University and practised as a lawyer before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in 1871. He was then elected as a member of Parliament (MP) in the 1874 federal election. As an MP, Laurier gained a large personal following among French Canadians and the Québécois. After serving as minister of inland revenue under Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie from 1877 to 1878, Laurier became leader of the Liberal Party in 1887. He lost the 1891 federal election to Prime Minister John A. Macdonald's Conservative Party. However, controversy surrounding the Conservative government's handling of the Manitoba Schools Question gave Laurier's Liberal Party a victory in the 1896 federal election. He led the Liberals to three more majority governments in 1900, 1904, and 1908.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Wilfrid Laurier” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (12)