(1854–1937). A statesman who helped transform Canada from a colony into a nation, Robert Laird Borden was Canada's prime minister during World War I. Borden's commitment to an international role for Canada was largely responsible for the government's vigorous war measures, including a policy of conscription, during those years. He was also the first minister of a British overseas dominion to serve as a member of the Imperial War Cabinet of Great Britain (1917–19). (See also Canada, “History.”) Borden was born in Grand Pré, N.S., on June 26, 1854. He cut his schooling short at the age of 15 in order to teach. He was admitted to the bar in 1878 and made friends in political circles. In 1896 he was elected a member of the House of Commons for Halifax. Within five years he was chosen leader of the Conservative opposition. In 1911 he became prime minister, a position he held until he resigned in 1920 because of his health. He was knighted in 1914. Borden was the Canadian delegate to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. He represented Canada at the Washington Conference in 1921–22 and was his country's delegate to the League of Nations in 1930. He died in Ottawa, Ont., on June 10, 1937. |