Wilfrid Laurier information

The Right Honourable Sir Wilfrid Laurier GCMG PC KC
Laurier in 1906
7th Prime Minister of Canada
In office July 11, 1896 – October 6, 1911
Monarchs	Victoria Edward VII George V
Governors General	The Earl of Aberdeen The Earl of Minto The Earl Grey
Preceded by	Charles Tupper
Succeeded by	Robert Borden
Leader of the Liberal Party
In office June 2, 1887 – February 17, 1919
Preceded by	Edward Blake
Succeeded by	Daniel Duncan McKenzie (interim)
Minister of Inland Revenue
In office October 8, 1877 – October 8, 1878
Preceded by	Joseph-Édouard Cauchon
Succeeded by	Louis François Georges Baby
Member of Parliament for Quebec East
In office November 11, 1877 – February 17, 1919
Preceded by	Isidore Thibaudeau
Succeeded by	Ernest Lapointe
Member of Parliament for Drummond—Arthabaska
In office January 22, 1874 – October 27, 1877
Preceded by	Pierre-Nérée Dorion
Succeeded by	Désiré Olivier Bourbeau
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Drummond-Arthabaska
In office July 1871 – January 22, 1874
Preceded by	Edward John Hemming
Succeeded by	William John Watts
Personal details
Born	Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (1841-11-20)November 20, 1841 Saint-Lin, Canada East, United Province of Canada
Died	February 17, 1919(1919-02-17) (aged 77) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Resting place	Notre Dame Cemetery, Ottawa, Ontario
Political party	Liberal
Other political affiliations	Laurier Liberal (1917–1919)
Spouse	Zoé Lafontaine ​ (m. 1868)​
Education	McGill University (LL.L., 1864)
Profession	Lawyer
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Canada
Branch/service	Canadian militia
Years of service	1869–1878
Rank	Ensign
Unit	Arthabaskaville Infantry Company
Battles/wars	Fenian Raids

Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC (/ˈlɒrieɪ/ LORR-ee-ay; French: [wilfʁid loʁje]; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minister, his 15-year tenure remains the longest uninterrupted term of office among Canadian prime ministers and his nearly 45 years of service in the House of Commons is a record for the House. Laurier is best known for his compromises between English and French Canada.

Laurier studied law at McGill University and practised as a lawyer before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in 1871. He was then elected as a member of Parliament (MP) in the 1874 federal election. As an MP, Laurier gained a large personal following among French Canadians and the Québécois. He also came to be known as a great orator. After serving as minister of inland revenue under Prime Minister Alexander Mackenzie from 1877 to 1878, Laurier became leader of the Liberal Party in 1887, thus becoming leader of the Official Opposition. He lost the 1891 federal election to Prime Minister John A. Macdonald's Conservatives. However, controversy surrounding the Conservative government's handling of the Manitoba Schools Question, which was triggered by the Manitoba government's elimination of funding for Catholic schools, gave Laurier a victory in the 1896 federal election. He paved the Liberal Party to three more election victories afterwards.

As prime minister, Laurier solved the Manitoba Schools Question by allowing Catholic students to have a Catholic education on a school-by-school basis. Despite his controversial handling of the dispute and criticism from some French Canadians who believed that the resolution was insufficient, he was nicknamed "the Great Conciliator" for offering a compromise between French and English Canada. Two issues, the United Kingdom demanding Canadian military support to fight in the Second Boer War, and the United Kingdom asking Canada to send money for the British Navy, divided the country as English Canadians supported Britain's requests whereas French Canadians did not. Laurier's government sought a middle ground between the two groups, deciding to send a volunteer force to fight in the Boer War and passing the 1910 Naval Service Act to create Canada's own navy. In addition, his government dramatically increased immigration, oversaw Alberta and Saskatchewan's entry into Confederation, constructed the Grand Trunk Pacific and National Transcontinental Railways, and put effort into establishing Canada as an autonomous country within the British Empire.

Laurier's proposed reciprocity agreement with the United States to lower tariffs became a main issue in the 1911 federal election, in which the Liberals were defeated by the Conservatives led by Robert Borden, who claimed that the treaty would lead to the US influencing Canadian identity. Despite his defeat, Laurier stayed on as Liberal leader and once again became leader of the Opposition. During World War I and the Conscription Crisis of 1917, Laurier faced divisions within the Liberal Party as pro-conscription Liberals joined Borden's Unionist government. The anti-conscription faction of the Liberal Party, led by Laurier, became the Laurier Liberals, though the group would be heavily defeated by Borden's Unionists in the 1917 federal election. Laurier remained Opposition leader even after his 1917 defeat, but was not able to fight in another election as he died in 1919. Laurier is ranked among the top three of Canadian prime ministers. At 31 years and 8 months, Laurier is the longest-serving leader of a major Canadian political party. He is the fourth-longest serving prime minister of Canada, behind Pierre Trudeau, Macdonald, and William Lyon Mackenzie King.