William Herbert Price

William Herbert Price (May 25, 1877 – December 21, 1963) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1914 to 1937 who represented the Toronto riding of Parkdale. He served as Treasurer and Attorney General in the governments of Howard Ferguson and George Stewart Henry.

For other people named William Price, see William Price (disambiguation).

William Herbert Price
Ontario MPP
In office
1914–1937
Preceded byNew riding
Succeeded byFred McBrien
ConstituencyParkdale
Personal details
Born(1877-05-25)May 25, 1877
Owen Sound, Ontario
DiedDecember 21, 1963(1963-12-21) (aged 86)
Toronto, Ontario
Political partyConservative
SpouseAlice Gentles
Children3
OccupationTeacher, lawyer
Military service
AllegianceCanadian
Branch/serviceInfantry
Years of service1916-1919
RankLieutenant-Colonel
Unit204th Battalion
Battles/warsWestern Front

Background

He was born in Owen Sound, Ontario,[1] the son of William H. Price. He taught school for several years, then studied at Osgoode Hall and the University of Toronto.[2] He was called to the Ontario bar in 1904 and went on to practice as a barrister and solicitor.[3] In 1910, he married Alice Gentles. They had three sons; his middle son, Captain John Gentles Price, of the 1st Battalion Queen's Own Rifles, was killed in action on September 8, 1944, in France during World War II.[4]

During World War I, while still serving as an MLA, he also served as a Lieutenant-Colonel for the 204th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry from 1916 until March 1917, after which he was posted to the British army.[1]

Politics

Price was elected in the 1914 provincial election in the Toronto riding of Parkdale.[5] In 1916 he took a leave of absence to join the army to fight in World War I.[1]

He easily won re-election in the 1919 Ontario general election, even though he spent the previous few years in Europe and not in the legislature.[6] He won re-election, again in the 1923 election that saw United Farmers of Ontario government fall to his party's Conservatives.[7] He was appointed as Treasurer from 1923 to 1926. He was re-elected again in 1926, and was appointed as the Attorney General of Ontario from 1926 to 1934.[3][8]

After being re-elected in the 1934 Ontario general election, he remained one of the few Conservative cabinet members to remain in the Legislature, as the Liberals won the most seats and formed a majority government.[9] Even though he was presumed to be the leading contender to become the Conservative party's leader, Price announced in May 1936 that he would not seek re-election and would retire at the end of the legislative session.[10] His decision came about two-weeks before the Conservatives were to pick a new leader, and turned it into a wide-open contest.[10]

References
  1. Leroux, Marc (2011). "Lieutenant Colonel William Herbert Price". The Canadian Great War Project. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
  2. "Obituary: Former attorney-general William H. Price was 86". Toronto Daily Star. Toronto. December 23, 1963. p. 29.
  3. "W. H. Price: Crusader Held Cabinet Post In Henry Regime". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. December 23, 1963. p. 8.
  4. "Price, Capt. John Gentles". The Toronto Daily Star. Toronto. October 4, 1944. p. 22.
  5. "Government Returned With a Big Majority: The Results in Detail". The Globe. Toronto. June 30, 1914. p. 1.
  6. "Parkdale is strong for Col. Price". The Toronto World. Toronto. October 21, 1919. p. 4.
  7. "Results of Yesterday's Election by Constituencies". The Globe. Toronto. June 26, 1923. p. 4.
  8. "Sweep by Tories Returns 15 Wets in Toronto Seats". The Toronto Daily Star (Last Extra edition). Toronto. December 1, 1926. p. 1.
  9. "Detailed Election Results". The Globe. Toronto. June 21, 1934. p. 3.
  10. Canadian Press (May 14, 1936). "Col. W. H. Price Reveals Intention to Retire from Politics". The Evening Citizen. Ottawa. p. 24. Retrieved January 20, 2012.

Further reading
  • Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1916, EJ Chambers
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