Arthur Meighen
Arthur Meighen was a prominent Canadian politician who served as the leader of the Conservative Party from 1920 to 1926 and held the position of Prime Minister during two non-consecutive terms. His first term lasted from July 10, 1920, to December 29, 1921, while his second was brief, from June 29 to September 25, 1926. Meighen's leadership was marked by the challenges of maintaining a coalition of Liberals and Conservatives formed during World War I, a task that became increasingly difficult in the post-war environment. He faced significant setbacks, including a major electoral defeat in 1921 against the newly established Liberal leader Mackenzie King.
Meighen is particularly remembered for his involvement in the 1926 constitutional crisis known as the "King-Byng affair," which arose when Governor-General Lord Byng refused King’s request to dissolve Parliament, leading to Meighen being asked to form a government. This situation sparked intense debate over constitutional conventions and the role of the British monarchy in Canadian affairs. Despite his oratorical skills and efforts to regain Conservative support, Meighen's government lost a crucial parliamentary vote, leading to his resignation and the end of his political career. Although he returned to the Senate in 1932 and attempted a political comeback in the 1940s, his impact remained largely defined by his earlier leadership and the controversies surrounding it.
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Arthur Meighen
- Born: June 16, 1874
- Birthplace: Near Anderson, Ontario, Canada
- Died: August 5, 1960
- Place of death: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Arthur Meighen served as leader of the Conservative Party in Canada from 1920 to 1926 and as prime minister from July 10, 1920, to December 29, 1921, as well as from June 29 to September 25, 1926. He is also remembered for his role in the Canadian constitutional crisis of 1926, commonly called the “King-Byng affair.”
During the years from 1908 to 1920, Arthur Meighen rose to a position of leadership in the Conservative Party in Canada, serving in the House of Commons from 1908 to 1913, holding several cabinet posts under the Robert Borden administration between 1913 to 1920 and becoming Conservative Party leader and prime minister following Borden’s retirement in July 1920. As prime minister, Meighen attempted to maintain the “Unionist Party” alliance of Liberals and Conservatives that his predecessor had forged during World War I, but in the post–World War I years, the alliance quickly dissolved. Key political differences between the previously aligned parties, along with the rise of new Liberal Party leader Mackenzie King, served to accelerate this dissolution. Despite a strong effort by Meighen in the election held in September 1921, the Conservative Party (still calling itself the National Liberal and Conservative Party) suffered a major defeat, and King replaced Meighen as prime minister.
In the aftermath of the electoral defeat, Meighen remained Conservative Party leader and led the opposition to the policies of King and the Liberals. The two parties especially differed in their views on Canadian support for Great Britain in its defense of the Dardanelles strait in 1922. A bitter struggle over tariff policy in the 1924 by-election in Quebec ended in favor of the Liberals and significantly undercut Conservative Party power. In response to his electoral successes, King called a federal election for October 1925. The election, however, resulted in a Conservative Party resurgence. Due at least in part to Meighen’s vigorous campaigning and oratorical skills, the party stood just seven seats away from the number needed to assume control of the government. Energized by these results, Meighen continued to work to strengthen Conservative support, focusing his efforts on obtaining a no-confidence vote against the Liberals and King in the next year’s parliamentary session.
King-Byng Affair
In June 1926, a scandal in the Department of Customs further weakened the Liberal government. Seeking to avoid the prospect of parliamentary censure, King asked Governor-General Lord Byng to dissolve parliament and call an election. When Byng refused, King resigned, and Byng responded by asking Meighen, the opposition leader, to form a government. The ensuing constitutional debate was one of the most contentious events in Canadian politics during the decade.
Realizing the volatile nature of the situation, Meighen requested that his new cabinet be appointed in an “acting” capacity only, but this did little to reduce the controversy. Although precedent seemed to support the governor-general’s refusal to dissolve parliament, especially when a debate over censure was underway, popular opinion tended to see the refusal as an unwarranted intrusion of British government into Canadian dominion affairs. In a vote taken in parliament on the issue, Meighen and his government lost by a single vote, forcing Meighen to ask the governor-general for dissolution and a new election. King focused the attention of voters on the constitutional issue and managed to divert attention from the Customs Department scandal, leading his party to victory.
After the election, Meighen resigned from his leadership position and returned to private life. Although he would later be appointed to the Senate in 1932 and attempted a brief political comeback in the early 1940s, his period of effective leadership was over.
Impact
Meighen’s two brief periods as Canadian prime minister, from July 1920 to December 1921 and from June to September of 1926, belie his true influence and importance. As leader of the Conservative Party during the first half of the 1920s, he was known for his skills in oratory and debate as well as his uncompromising support of Conservative Party principles. Unfortunately, the circumstances that arose in the summer and early fall of 1926, for which he is most often remembered, placed him in a no-win situation and consequently brought an untimely end to his political career.
Bibliography
English, John. Arthur Meighen. Don Mills, Ont.: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1977. Presents biographical information about Meighen, addressed to a juvenile audience.
Esberey, J. E. “Personality and Politics: A New Look at the King-Byng Dispute.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 6, no. 1 (1973): 37–55. Provides a psychological perspective on the 1926 event that marked the turning point in Meighen’s career.
Graham, Roger. Arthur Meighen: A Biography. Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, & Co, 1965. Covers the events of Meighen’s career in the 1920s and beyond.
Granatstein, J. L., and Norman Hillmer. Prime Ministers: Ranking Canada’s Leaders. Toronto: HarperCollins, 1999. Contains a brief overview and assessment of Meighen’s political career, placing him in the context of other Canadian prime ministers of the period.
Meighen, Arthur. Unrevised and Unrepented II: Debating Speeches and Others by the Right Honourable Arthur Meighen, edited by Arthur Milnes. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2011. Contains Meighen’s public addresses as well as a selection of tributes and articles to and about him.