The Viscount Bennett | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Bennett c. 1930–1935 | |
| 11th Prime Minister of Canada | |
| In office August 7, 1930 – October 23, 1935 | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Governors General | The Viscount Willingdon The Earl of Bessborough |
| Preceded by | W.L. Mackenzie King |
| Succeeded by | W.L. Mackenzie King |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office October 23, 1935 – July 6, 1938 | |
| Preceded by | W.L. Mackenzie King |
| Succeeded by | Robert Manion |
| In office October 12, 1927 – August 7, 1930 | |
| Preceded by | Hugh Guthrie |
| Succeeded by | W.L. Mackenzie King |
| Leader of the Conservative Party | |
| In office October 12, 1927 – July 7, 1938 | |
| Preceded by | Hugh Guthrie (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Robert Manion |
| Minister of Finance | |
| In office August 7, 1930 – February 2, 1932 | |
| Prime Minister | Himself |
| Preceded by | Charles Avery Dunning |
| Succeeded by | Edgar Nelson Rhodes |
| In office July 13, 1926 – September 25, 1926 | |
| Prime Minister | Arthur Meighen |
| Preceded by | Henry Lumley Drayton (acting) |
| Succeeded by | James Robb |
| Minister of Justice | |
| In office October 4, 1921 – December 28, 1921 | |
| Prime Minister | Arthur Meighen |
| Preceded by | Charles Doherty |
| Succeeded by | Lomer Gouin |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| In office June 12, 1941 – June 26, 1947 Hereditary Peerage | |
| Preceded by | Peerage created |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Member of Parliament for Calgary West | |
| In office October 29, 1925 – January 28, 1939 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Tweed Shaw |
| Succeeded by | Douglas Cunnington |
| Member of Parliament for Calgary | |
| In office September 21, 1911 – December 16, 1917 | |
| Preceded by | Maitland Stewart McCarthy |
| Succeeded by | District abolished |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary | |
| In office March 22, 1909 – 1911 | |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Tweedie |
| Leader of the Alberta Conservative Party | |
| In office 1909–1910 | |
| Preceded by | Albert Robertson |
| Succeeded by | Edward Michener |
| In office 1905–1905 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Albert Robertson |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories for West Calgary | |
| In office November 4, 1898 – 1905 | |
| Preceded by | Oswald Critchley |
| Succeeded by | District abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Bedford Bennett July 3, 1870 Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Died | June 26, 1947 (aged 76) Mickleham, Surrey, England |
| Resting place | St. Michael's Churchyard, Mickleham |
| Citizenship |
|
| Political party | Conservative |
| Education | Dalhousie University (LL.B., 1893) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| 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.