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Biography & Autobiography Presidents & Heads Of State

The Loner

Three Sketches of the Personal Life and Ideas of R.B. Bennett, 1870-1947

by (author) P.B. Waite

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Dec 1992
Category
Presidents & Heads of State, Canadian, General
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487574321
    Publish Date
    Dec 1992
    List Price
    $24.95

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Description

Canada’s bachelor prime ministers have always provided extraordinary material for biographers. Richard Bedford Bennett is no exception. In this volume P.B. Waite offers three entertaining essays on the personal life of Canada’s Depression prime minister.

 

The first essay is set in New Brunswick, where Bennett grew up. It focuses on Bennett’s youth and the early influences on his character: school, church, and family. The second, covering his years as a Calgary businessman and an Ottawa MP, explores the development of Bennett’s political ideas, his views on the British Empire and Canada’s place within it. The third essay covers his years as Conservative leader and prime minister; it deals with the women in Bennett’s life, particularly his close relationship with his sister and his romance with Hazel Kemp Colville.

 

After his death in 1947, Bennett’s devoted secretary destroyed many of his personal papers. Waite has risen masterfully to his challenge. In his skilful hands the private Bennett is revealed in a new and fascinating light.

About the author

P.B. Waite is professor emeritus, Dalhousie University, and the author of The Life and Times of Confederation, 1864-1867 and The Man from Halifax: Sir John Thompson, Prime Minister. He is an officer of the Order of Canada.

P.B. Waite's profile page

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