P.M. #2: Not-Sir Alexander Mackenzie
And now in part 2 of my 23 part series, I give you the 2nd Prime Minister of Canada, Alexander Mackenzie. Who I always mix up with William Lyon Mackenzie King, although my extensive research1 suggests they are in no way related.
Name | Alexander Mackenzie |
Born: | January 28, 1822 in Logierait, Scotland |
Died: | April 17, 1892 |
Party: | Liberal |
Held Office: | November 7, 1873 – October 9, 1878 |
Best known for: | -creating the Royal Military College & the Supreme Court of Canada-he took power after Sir John A’s government fell in 1873, and then got knocked out by Sir John A who won a majority in 1878 |
Some Things I Didn’t Know About This P.M. | Being very proud of his working class origins, he thrice refused the offer of knighthood and was the only Canadian P.M. not be knighted until Arthur Meighen in took office in 1920. Apparently it was customary to knight Canadian P.M.s |
If you are just dying to read more about Alex M.? Check out:
- Official Office of the Prime Minister Alex M. bio
- Wikipedia entry
- Library & Archives of Canada entry
1My “extensive research” may or may not have been me typing “Are Alexander Mackenzie and William Lyon Mackenzie related?” into Google.
Image credit: This image was obtained from the National Archives of Canada, PA-026308 and is in the public domain. Yay public domain!
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