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Sir Wilfrid Laurier Biography

(1841 - 1919)

(born Nov. 20, 1841, Saint-Lin, Canada East—died Feb. 17, 1919, Ottawa, Ont., Can.) Prime minister of Canada (1896–1911). He studied law at McGill University, where he was a leading member of the liberal Institut Canadien. He served in the Quebec legislature (1871–74) and the Canadian House of Commons (1874–1919), where in 1885 he delivered a plea for clemency for Louis Riel. Leading the Liberal Party to victory in the election of 1896, he became prime minister, the first French Canadian and Roman Catholic to hold that office. He advocated unity between English and French Canadians, development of the western territories, protection of Canadian industry, and expansion of the transportation system. His insistence on protecting Canadian autonomy in its relations with Britain helped shape the modern concept of a British Commonwealth of independent states. His support for a treaty of reciprocity with the U.S. contributed to his government's defeat in 1911. Laurier is remembered as one of Canada's most outstanding statesmen.