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William Lyon Mackenzie King was born in Kitchener, Ontario in 1874. He was the Grandson
of William Lyon Mackenzie, leader of the Rebellion in Upper Canada. King was greatly
influenced by his grandfather through out his political life. Mackenzie King led
Canada for a total of twenty-two years, through half of the depression and all of the
Second World War.After gaining leadership of the Liberal Party on August 7, 1919, he chose to run in the Prince County seat vacated by the death of Joseph Read on April 1919. The Conservatives did not field a candidate and King was elected by acclamation on October 20, 1919. He represented this constituency form 1919 to 1921. National Unity was perhaps Kings most important goal. By creating a society where in all Canadians were accepted with their varying cultures and backgrounds, a society that was built on the foundation of multiculturalism.
King, was to implement some of the most important programs for social reform, including unemployment insurance in 1940 and family allowance in 1944. He retired in 1944; politics had been the center of King's life for a significant period. William Lyon Mackenzie King, died two years after his retirement in 1950 at the age of seventy-six, of natural causes.