- James Horace King
James Horace King, PC , MD (
January 18 1873 –July 14 1955 ) was a physician and Canadian parliamentarian.Born in Chipman,
New Brunswick , James King was the son ofGeorge Gerald King , a businessman and Canadian politician in his own right. The elder King was a LiberalMember of Parliament in the nineteenth century, and a Senator from 1896 until his death in 1928.The younger King earned his MD from
McGill University in 1895. After practicing medicine for a short period in New Brunswick, he moved to theKootenay region ofBritish Columbia in 1898 serving a large rural territory. In 1910, he attended an international medical conference inBudapest , and played a leading role in establishing theAmerican College of Surgeons inChicago , serving as a governor of the college. In 1932, he was created aKnight of Grace of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem for his services to medicine.In 1903, King was elected as a
British Columbia Liberal Party member of theBritish Columbia Legislative Assembly for the riding of Cranbrook and was re-elected in 1907 before leaving provincial politics in 1909 to return to medicine.A supporter of Sir
Wilfrid Laurier , King was a Liberal candidate in the 1911 federal election but was defeated in the riding of Kootenay. He returned to the provincial legislature in 1916, joining the provincialcabinet as Minister of Public Works. He served in that portfolio until 1922 when he was offered a federal Cabinet position by Prime MinisterWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King . J.H. King became Minister of Public Works shortly before winning aby-election to enter theCanadian House of Commons as MP forKootenay East .In 1926, King became Minister of Soldiers’ Civil Reestablishment and minister responsible for the Department of Health. In 1928, he became the country's first Minister of Pensions and National Health. He was appointed to the Senate on Prime Minister Mackenzie King's recommendation on
June 7 ,1930 , shortly before the defeat of Mackenzie King's government.In 1942, King returned to Cabinet as
Leader of the Government in the Canadian Senate . In this capacity ,he attended the June 1945San Francisco Conference that established theUnited Nations . In August 1945, he was appointedSpeaker of the Canadian Senate charing sessions of theupper house until 1949. He then served as co-chairman of the joint Senate-House of Commons Committee on Old Age Security which reported in 1950. King remained a Senator until his death in 1955.External links
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=2289&s=M Political biography from the Library of Parliament]
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