William Lyon Mackenzie King
#90747 Most Popular
About
Canadian politician who served as the nation's tenth Prime Minister, holding the office for a record-breaking 22 years.
Before Fame
He received bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Toronto and went on to earn his law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Later, he studied at both the University of Chicago and at Harvard University, where he received both a master's degree and a Ph.D.
Trivia
His biographers note his atypical profile as a politician: he was neither charismatic nor a skilled orator, and he was largely socially unskilled (he neither married nor kept close friends). His political strength, however, lay in his intelligence, his deep understanding of Canadian public, economic, and social policy, and in his consistent ability to, as a Liberal politician, address the needs of people on all sides of the political spectrum.
Family Life
He was born William Lyon Mackenzie King to John King and Isabella Grace Mackenzie. His grandfather, William Lyon Mackenzie, had served as the first mayor of the city of Toronto.
Associated With
He was ranked by Maclean's magazine in 1997 as the top Canadian Prime Minister in history, ahead of even respected Prime Minister John MacDonald.
