Charles Tupper
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- Not to be confused with Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper who was Sir Charles Tupper's son
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| 6th Prime Minister of Canada | |
| Term of Office: | May 1,1896– July 8,1896 |
| Predecessor: | Mackenzie Bowell |
| Successor: | Wilfrid Laurier |
| Date of Birth: | July 2, 1821 |
| Place of Birth: | Amherst, Nova Scotia |
| Spouse: | Francis Morse |
| Profession: | Doctor |
| Political Party: | Conservative |
Sir Charles Tupper, P.C., G.C.M.G.,D.C.L., LL.D., M.D. (July 2, 1821 – October 30, 1915) was the sixth Prime Minister of Canada and, as of 2005, the one with the shortest term of office.
Tupper was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, studied at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and became a doctor upon his graduation in 1843. In 1846, he married Frances Morse (1826-1912), with whom he had three sons (James Stewart Tupper, Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper, and William Johnston Tupper) and three daughters (Emma, Elizabeth Stewart (Lilly), and Sophy Almon).
He entered Nova Scotia politics in 1855 and became premier in 1864 as leader of the Confederation Party. As a delegate to the Charlottetown, Quebec, and London conferences, Tupper guided his province into Confederation.
Sir Charles Tupper's public career was long and successful. He was Canada's High Commissioner in Great Britain from 1884 to 1887, and later served as one of Sir John A. Macdonald's key lieutenants. In 1895, he returned from service as Canada's representative in Britain to take over the leadership of the Conservative party, replacing Mackenzie Bowell. The Conservative Party was "dissatisfied" in Bowell's leadership because of the controversial Manitoba Schools Question. Despite these successes, Tupper was Prime Minister of Canada for just 69 days in 1896, the shortest term ever for a Canadian Prime Minister. He was also the oldest, at the age of 74, to assume the office of Primer Minister.
Tupper led the Conservatives into the 1896 election; however, the question of the educational rights of French-speaking Manitobans turned voters, especially in Quebec, towards the Liberals under Wilfrid Laurier. Despite garnering 46.5% of the votes, in comparison to 45% for the Liberals, Tupper's Conservatives were defeated. He retired from the federal scene in 1901, after thirty years in national politics.
Sir Charles Tupper died in Bexleyheath, Kent, England at the age of 94, and was brought home to be buried in St. John's Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=41869)
- Political biography from the Library of Parliament (http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=1875&s=M)
| Preceded by: Sir Mackenzie Bowell | Prime Minister of Canada 1896 | Succeeded by: Sir Wilfrid Laurier |
| Preceded by: Sir Mackenzie Bowell | Federal Conservative Leader | Succeeded by: Sir Robert Laird Borden |
| Preceded by: James W. Johnston | Premier of Nova Scotia 1864-1867 | Succeeded by: Hiram Blanchard |
| Preceded by: Archibald McLelan | Minister of Finance 27 January 1887 – 22 May 1888 | Succeeded by: George Eulas Foster Template:End box Template:CanPMpl:Charles Tupper pt:Charles Tupper |