James Horace King | |
|---|---|
.jpg) King,c. 1925 | |
| Member of theBritish Columbia Legislative Assembly forCranbrook | |
| In office 1903–1909 | |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Donald Caven |
| Member of theCanadian Parliament forKootenay East | |
| In office 1922–1930 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Ethelbert Beattie |
| Succeeded by | Michael Dalton McLean |
| Member of theSenate of Canada forBritish Columbia | |
| In office June 7, 1930 – July 14, 1955 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1873-01-18)January 18, 1873 Chipman, New Brunswick, Canada |
| Died | July 14, 1955(1955-07-14) (aged 82) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Party | Liberal |
| Alma mater | McGill University |
| Profession | Physician |
James Horace King,PC (January 18, 1873 – July 14, 1955) was aCanadian physician andparliamentarian.
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 aLiberalMember of Parliament in the nineteenth century, and aSenator from 1896 until his death in 1928.
The younger King earned hisMD fromMcGill 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 theVenerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem for his services to medicine.
In 1903, King was elected as aBritish Columbia Liberal Party member of theBritish Columbia Legislative Assembly for the riding ofCranbrook and was re-elected in 1907 before leaving provincial politics in 1909 to return to medicine.
A supporter of SirWilfrid Laurier, King was aLiberal candidate in theriding ofKootenay in the1911 federal election but was defeated. 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 afederal Cabinet position byPrime MinisterWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King. J.H. King becameMinister of Public Works shortly before winning aby-election to enter theHouse of Commons of Canada 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 firstMinister 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 asLeader 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 Senate of Canada chairing 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. He died in office, and was buried in British Columbia, at Ocean View Cemetery in Burnaby.[1]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Leader of the Government in the Senate of Canada 1942–1945 | Succeeded by |