R. B. Bennett

The Viscount Bennett
Bennett c. 1930–1935
11th Prime Minister of Canada
In office
August 7, 1930 – October 23, 1935
MonarchGeorge V
Governors GeneralThe Viscount Willingdon
The Earl of Bessborough
Preceded byW.L. Mackenzie King
Succeeded byW.L. Mackenzie King
Leader of the Opposition
In office
October 23, 1935 – July 6, 1938
Preceded byW.L. Mackenzie King
Succeeded byRobert Manion
In office
October 12, 1927 – August 7, 1930
Preceded byHugh Guthrie
Succeeded byW.L. Mackenzie King
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office
October 12, 1927 – July 7, 1938
Preceded byHugh Guthrie (interim)
Succeeded byRobert Manion
Minister of Finance
In office
August 7, 1930 – February 2, 1932
Prime MinisterHimself
Preceded byCharles Avery Dunning
Succeeded byEdgar Nelson Rhodes
In office
July 13, 1926 – September 25, 1926
Prime MinisterArthur Meighen
Preceded byHenry Lumley Drayton (acting)
Succeeded byJames Robb
Minister of Justice
In office
October 4, 1921 – December 28, 1921
Prime MinisterArthur Meighen
Preceded byCharles Doherty
Succeeded byLomer Gouin
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
In office
June 12, 1941 – June 26, 1947
Hereditary Peerage
Preceded byPeerage created
Succeeded byNone
Member of Parliament
for Calgary West
In office
October 29, 1925 – January 28, 1939
Preceded byJoseph Tweed Shaw
Succeeded byDouglas Cunnington
Member of Parliament
for Calgary
In office
September 21, 1911 – December 16, 1917
Preceded byMaitland Stewart McCarthy
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary
In office
March 22, 1909 – 1911
Succeeded byThomas Tweedie
Leader of the Alberta Conservative Party
In office
1909–1910
Preceded byAlbert Robertson
Succeeded byEdward Michener
In office
1905–1905
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAlbert Robertson
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories for West Calgary
In office
November 4, 1898 – 1905
Preceded byOswald Critchley
Succeeded byDistrict abolished
Personal details
Born
Richard Bedford Bennett

(1870-07-03)July 3, 1870
Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick, Canada
DiedJune 26, 1947(1947-06-26) (aged 76)
Mickleham, Surrey, England
Resting placeSt. Michael's Churchyard, Mickleham
Citizenship
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
Political partyConservative
EducationDalhousie University (LL.B., 1893)
ProfessionLawyer
Signature

Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett PC KC (July 3, 1870 – June 26, 1947) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Canada from 1930 to 1935.

Bennett was born in Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick, and grew up nearby in Hopewell Cape. He studied law at Dalhousie University, graduating in 1893, and in 1897 moved to Calgary to establish a law firm in partnership with James Lougheed. Bennett became very rich due to the law practice, various investments, and taking on leadership roles in multiple organizations; he was one of the wealthiest Canadians during his time. On the political side, Bennett served in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1898 until 1905, when he briefly held the post as the inaugural leader of the Alberta Conservative Party. He later served in the Alberta Legislature from 1909 to 1911, resigning upon his election to the House of Commons. Bennett declined to run for reelection in 1917, but briefly served as minister of justice under Arthur Meighen in 1921. He returned to the Commons in 1925, and served briefly as minister of finance in Meighen's second government in 1926. Meighen resigned the Conservative Party's leadership after his defeat in the 1926 election, with Bennett elected as his replacement in 1927. Thus, Bennett became leader of the Opposition.

Bennett became prime minister after the 1930 election, where the Conservatives won a majority government over William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Party. Bennett's premiership was marked primarily by the Great Depression. He and his party initially tried to combat the crisis with laissez-faire policies, but these were largely ineffective. He was also unsuccessful in establishing an imperial preference free trade agreement. Over time, Bennett's government became increasingly interventionist, attempting to replicate the popular "New Deal" enacted by Franklin Roosevelt in the United States. This about-face prompted a split within Conservative ranks, and was regarded by the general public as evidence of incompetence. Still, he left lasting legacies in the form of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the Bank of Canada.

Bennett suffered a landslide defeat in the 1935 election, with King returning to power. Bennett remained leader of the Conservative Party until 1938, when he retired to England. He was created Viscount Bennett, the only Canadian prime minister to be honoured with elevation to the peerage. Bennett is ranked as a below-average prime minister among historians and the public.