Sir Wilfrid Laurier - biography.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier - biography. Seventh prime minister of Canada Birth November 20, 1841 Death February 17, 1919 Place of Birth Saint Lin (now Laurentides), Québec Constituencies Drummond-Arthabaska, Québec (1874-1877) Québec East, Québec (1877-1919) Political Party Liberal Term 1896-1911 Significant Acts Opposed the government's 1885 decision to hang Louis Riel, leader of the Métis rebellion Refused to support an 1896 bill to restore separate schools for Roman Catholics in Manitoba Participated in the 1897 Colonial Conference, a meeting of British Commonwealth heads of state, and subsequent Imperial Conferences Admitted the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan into the Confederation in 1905 Created Canada's Department of External Affairs in 1909 Had two transcontinental railways built across Canada Career 1871-1874 Served in the Québec provincial legislature 1874 Won election to the national Parliament 1877-1878 Served as minister of inland revenue 1887 Succeeded Edward Blake as leader of the Liberal Party, a position he retained until his death in 1919 July 1896 Became prime minister after the Liberal Party won majority in national elections 1899 Sent Canadian volunteers to assist Britain during the Boer War in South Africa 1900 Continued on as prime minister after the Liberal Party won election 1904 Maintained his post as prime minister following a landslide victory by the Liberal Party 1908 Continued to serve as prime minister after the Liberal Party won election 1911 Resigned as prime minister due to public and governmental disapproval of the free-trade agreement with the United States Did You Know Laurier had the longest unbroken term of office as Canadian prime minister. Laurier was the first French Canadian prime minister. Laurier's cabinet was called the Cabinet of All the Talents because of the exceptional qualifications of its members. Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.