Sir Wilfrid Laurier

A compact portrait traces a French-Canadian statesman from rural Quebec origins and family influences through bilingual schooling and professional advancement to a towering role in national politics. It follows his prolonged parliamentary career, three-decade party leadership and fifteen-year prime ministership, set against international events and domestic development. Combining biographical detail, contemporary reportage and selections from speeches, the account examines his temperament, political convictions and public influence while chronicling the Dominion's growth during his long service.