1958 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

1958 Liberal leadership election
Date	January 16, 1958
Convention	Ottawa Coliseum,; Lansdowne Park,; Ottawa, Ontario
Resigning leader	Louis St. Laurent
Won by	Lester Pearson
Ballots	1
Candidates	3
	Liberal leadership elections ; 1919 · 1948 · 1958 · 1968 · 1980 · 1984 · 1990 · 2003 · 2006 · 2009 · 2013

Last updated April 18, 2024

The 1958 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was called to replace Liberal leader Louis St. Laurent, who had resigned as Prime Minister after the party's sudden defeat in the 1957 election. On the first ballot, former External Affairs minister Lester Pearson defeated former cabinet minister Paul Martin and Mayor of Portage la Prairie, Harold Lloyd Henderson.^[1]

Background

The Liberals had held power for 22 years until their defeat in the 1957 federal election on June 10, 1957, which returned a Progressive Conservative minority government. Louis St. Laurent, who had led the Liberals since 1948, announced on September 6, 1957 that he would not be leading the Liberals into another election.^[2]

Candidates

Harold Lloyd Henderson , 51, Mayor of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.
Paul Martin Sr. , 54, former Minister of National Health and Welfare (1946-1957), MP for Essex East, Ontario since 1935.
Lester Pearson , 60, former Secretary of State for External Affairs (1948-1957), MP for Algoma East, Ontario since 1948.

Donald Hugh Mackay, Mayor of Calgary, withdrew his candidacy a week before the convention. Former Finance Minister Walter Edward Harris, who had lost his seat in the election, had initially been expected to be Pearson's main competitor but did not run.^[3] Newfoundland MP and former Minister for Citizenship and Immigration Jack Pickersgill was also expected to run but did not stand. Other names mentioned as possible candidates were former Fisheries Minister and British Columbia MP James Sinclair (Coast—Capilano), former Transport Minister and Montreal MP George Carlyle Marler (Saint-Antoine—Westmount), and former Public Works Minister Robert Winters who had lost his Queens—Lunenburg, Nova Scotia seat in the election.^[3]

Pearson was the choice of the party establishment, had strong support from MPs in Quebec and Toronto, and won overwhelmingly on the first ballot and was also helped by being awarded the 1957 Nobel Peace Prize weeks before the convention. Martin, who had been on the left of the St. Laurent cabinet, attempted to appeal to the rank-and-file,^[1]

Results

First Ballot
Candidate		Delegate Support	Percentage
	PEARSON, Lester Bowles	1,074	77.8%
	MARTIN, Paul Joseph James	305	22.1%
	HENDERSON, Harold Lloyd	1	0.1%
Total		1,380	100%

First ballot

Pearson			77.83%
Martin			22.10%
Henderson			0.07%

Related Research Articles

John George Diefenbaker was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an election victory, doing so three times, although only once with a majority of the seats in the House of Commons.

Louis Stephen St. Laurent was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 12th prime minister of Canada from 1948 to 1957.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the Government of Canada's international relations and is the lead minister responsible for Global Affairs Canada, though the minister of international trade leads on trade issues. In addition to Global Affairs Canada, the minister is also the lead in overseeing the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development and the International Development Research Centre.

The 1957 Canadian federal election was held June 10, 1957, to select the 265 members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 23rd Parliament of Canada. In one of the greatest upsets in Canadian political history, the Progressive Conservative Party, led by John Diefenbaker, brought an end to 22 years of Liberal rule, as the Tories were able to form a minority government despite losing the popular vote to the Liberals.

Joseph James Guillaume Paul Martin, often referred to as Paul Martin Sr., was a noted Canadian politician and diplomat. He was the father of Paul Martin, who served as 21st prime minister of Canada from 2003 to 2006.

Howard Charles Green was a Canadian federal politician.

Harold Lloyd Henderson was a Presbyterian minister and politician in Manitoba, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election</span> Canadian election

The 1968 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was held on April 6, 1968. The election was won by Minister of Justice and Attorney General Pierre Elliott Trudeau, who became the new Prime Minister of Canada as a result. He was the unexpected winner in what was one of the most important leadership conventions in party history. The Globe and Mail's newspaper report the next day called it "the most chaotic, confusing, and emotionally draining convention in Canadian political history."

Walter Edward Harris was a Canadian politician and lawyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Teillet</span> Canadian politician

Jean-Baptiste Roger Joseph Camille Teillet was a Canadian politician, becoming the first self-identifying Métis member of the Canadian Cabinet in 1963.

The 1984 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was called for June 16, 1984, to replace retiring Liberal leader and sitting Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. The convention elected former Finance Minister John Turner, who at the time was not sitting in the House of Commons, as its leader on the second ballot, defeating another former finance minister, Jean Chrétien.

The 1990 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was held on 23 June 1990 in Calgary, Alberta. The party chose former Deputy Prime Minister Jean Chrétien as its new leader, replacing the outgoing leader, former Prime Minister John Turner.

The 1948 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election was called to replace retiring Liberal leader and sitting Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. The convention was held exactly 29 years after the 1919 leadership convention that saw King elected Liberal leader. The National Film Board of Canada made a short film about the event for its Eye Witness series.

The 1993 Progressive Conservative leadership election was held on June 13, 1993 to choose a leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, with Kim Campbell winning the vote in the second ballot. She became the first female Prime Minister of Canada on June 25, 1993.

Lester Bowles "Mike" Pearson was a Canadian politician, diplomat, statesman, and scholar who served as the 14th Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968.

Anton Bernard Weselak was a Canadian lawyer and politician. Weselak was a Liberal party member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Beausejour, Manitoba and became a lawyer after studies at the Manitoba Law School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral history of Louis St. Laurent</span>

This article is the electoral history of Louis St. Laurent, the twelfth prime minister of Canada (1948–1957).

This article is the Electoral history of John Diefenbaker, the thirteenth Prime Minister of Canada.

This article is the Electoral history of Lester B. Pearson, the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada.

By-elections to the 44th Canadian Parliament may be held to fill vacancies in the House of Commons of Canada between the 2021 federal election and the 45th federal election. The 44th Canadian Parliament has existed since 2021 with the membership of its House of Commons having been determined by the results of the 44th Canadian federal election held on September 20, 2021. The Liberal Party of Canada has a minority government during this Parliament, supported by the New Democratic Party in a confidence-and-supply agreement. The Conservative Party of Canada forms the Official Opposition.

References

1 2 "1958 Liberal Convention". CPAC. Cable Public Affairs Channel. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
↑ "St. Laurent Statement". Globe and Mail. September 7, 1957.
1 2 "Pearson's Post Position: Leadership Struggle Expected". Globe and Mail. September 7, 1957.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[cpac-1] 1 2 "1958 Liberal Convention". CPAC. Cable Public Affairs Channel. Retrieved February 6, 2016.

[2] "St. Laurent Statement". Globe and Mail. September 7, 1957.

[pear-3] 1 2 "Pearson's Post Position: Leadership Struggle Expected". Globe and Mail. September 7, 1957.

[1]

[2]

[3]