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Robert James Manion | |
|---|---|
 Manion in 1938 | |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 14 November 1938 – 25 March 1940 | |
| Preceded by | R. B. Bennett |
| Succeeded by | Richard Hanson |
| Leader of theConservative Party | |
| In office 7 July 1938 – 13 May 1940 | |
| Preceded by | R. B. Bennett |
| Succeeded by | Richard Hanson (acting) |
| Member of Parliament forLondon | |
| In office 14 November 1938 – 25 March 1940 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick Cronyn Betts |
| Succeeded by | Allan Johnston |
| Member of Parliament forFort William (Fort William and Rainy River; 1917–1925) | |
| In office 17 December 1917 – 13 October 1935 | |
| Preceded by | Riding created |
| Succeeded by | Dan McIvor |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1881-11-19)19 November 1881 Pembroke, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 2 July 1943(1943-07-02) (aged 61) |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Other political affiliations | Unionist (1917-1921) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Queen's University, Kingston Ontario and at theUniversity of Edinburgh |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Canada |
| Branch/service | Canadian Army |
| Years of service | 1916-1918 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Robert James ManionPC MC (19 November 1881 – 2 July 1943) was aCanadian politician who led theConservative Party of Canada from 1938 to 1940.[1][2] Prior to his leadership of the party, he served inPrime MinisterArthur Meighen andR. B. Bennett's cabinets.
ALiberal prior toWorld War I, Manion was elected to theHouse of Commons in1917 as a member of the pro-conscriptionUnionist Party led by Prime MinisterRobert Borden. After the war, he served as a ConservativeMember of Parliament until his defeat in1935. In1938, Manion was elected leader of the Conservatives, which was shortly relabeled asNational Government. Despite his pro-conscription stance in World War I, Manion campaigned against conscription inWorld War II in the1940 federal election. Manion also ran on a platform of forming a wartimecoalitionnational unity government. In the election, the National Government lost in a landslide, keeping their seat count exactly the same as in the 1935 federal election. Manion also lost his seat ofLondon, and subsequently resigned as leader. Shortly after, Manion was appointed director ofCivilian Air Raid Defence. He died in 1943 inOttawa.
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Manion was born inPembroke, Ontario, of Irish Catholic descent, the son of Mary Ann (O'Brien) and Patrick James Manion. He studied medicine atQueen's University, Kingston, Ontario, and at theUniversity of Edinburgh before settling in his hometown ofFort William,Ontario, where his parents had lived since 1888.[3]
In 1915, he enrolled in theCanadian Army Medical Corps. Attached to the 21st Canadian Battalion, he was awarded theMilitary Cross for heroism at the battle ofVimy Ridge.[4]
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Manion was elected to theHouse of Commons during theconscriptionelection of 1917 as aUnionistMember of Parliament (MP) forFort William, Ontario. A member of theLiberal Party before the war, he supported Conservative Prime MinisterRobert Borden's pro-conscription Union government that was formed as a result of theConscription Crisis of 1917. Manion remained with theConservative Party after the war. The new prime minister,Arthur Meighen, appointed him Minister of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment in 1921. He spent most of the 1920s on theopposition benches, except for a few months in 1926 when he served as a minister in the second Meighen administration, including the position of Postmaster-General.
Following thefederal election of 1930, the new Conservative Prime ministerR. B. Bennett appointed Manion Minister of Railways and Canals. However, the economic crisis of theGreat Depression destroyed the Bennett government, and Manion, with many others, lost his seat in the1935 election. According to historianRoy Piovesana, Manion's loss was partly attributable to his failure to cultivate his Fort William riding.
Despite not having a seat, Manion won theConservative leadership convention with backing of an "improbable coalition"[5] of Orange Order delegates from Ontario and delegates from Quebec. Conservative Party members hoped that hisCatholicism and marriage to aFrench-Canadian, Yvonne Desaulniers, would help the party inQuebec where the perception of the Tories as being anti-French and anti-CatholicOrangemen had hurt their prospects. Manion entered the House of Commons through aby-election in 1938 inLondon.
Following his by-election win, Manion subsequently campaigned againstconscription despite the fact that he had joined theUnionists in 1917 because he favoured the draft. Manion moved the Conservatives to the left and was criticized as a socialist due to his call for action against unemployment and his desire to, in his words, "bring a greater measure of social justice to all our citizens."[5]
He hoped to come to power due to the criticism the King government was facing after the brokerage of an agreement with theUnion NationalePremier of Quebec,Maurice Duplessis in which he promised federal funds for unemployment relief in Quebec in exchange for the Union Nationale's support for the Conservatives in the federal election. The onset ofWorld War II and the re-emergence of conscription as an issue in Canada stymied Manion's hopes. In the1939 Quebec election the federal Liberals warned that the Duplessis government's support for Manion would lead to conscription, despite Manion's claims that he opposed mandatory military enlistment.[5] The defeat of the government of Maurice Duplessis inQuebec dashed Manion's hopes of building an electoral alliance with the conservativepremier. As well, his stand against conscription turned much of the Tory base in Ontario against the leader.
King had promised Manion that he would not call an election due to the war but reversed his pledge and called aMarch 1940 general election taking Manion's Tories by surprise and unprepared.[5] They campaigned under the name "National Government" with the platform of forming a wartimecoalition government. King and his Liberal Party were quite popular, especially after his government helped Canada recover from the depression. Therefore, the Liberals won a second consecutive landslidemajority government, the renamed Tories were unable to make any gains from their 1935 result, and Manion failed to win his seat, leading to his resignation as party leader two months later.[citation needed]
After his election loss, Manion was appointed director ofCivilian Air Raid Defence. He died in 1943 inOttawa.[citation needed]
There is a Robert James Manionfonds atLibrary and Archives Canada.[6]
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