It is with great sadness that I stand before you today because of the passing of William Lyon Mackenzie King. But I am honoured to tell you about this strong, confident, cunning man. Words don’t even come close to describing just how influential he was. Not only to those around him, but to an entire nation. Known to some as Mackenzie King, to most as Prime Minister Mackenzie King, and to those closest to him, William, he was born in what was once Berlin, Ontario and is now Kitchener, Ontario. Born to John King and Isabella Grace Mackenzie on December 17th, 1874, he was the eldest of four. Even from a young age, King went on to obtain five university degrees in various subjects that helped with how he ran the country. At the ripe age of 26, …show more content…
He loved and took amazing care of his mother and even after her death continued to respect what she would have wanted. He also strived to be like his maternal grandfather who had served as a Canadian leader in the Upper Canada Rebellion, and as the first mayor of Toronto. This, along with his parents constantly encouraged him to get into law and politics, led to him eventually taking office and for that we can all be grateful. King truly was an honourable, valiant, and innovative leader. Both in his public and private life. As William Lyon Mackenzie King said himself, “I believed the people had a true instinct in most matters of government when left alone. That they were not swayed, as specially favoured individuals were, by personal interest, but rather by a sense of what best served the common good. That they recognized the truth when it was put before them, and that a leader can guide so long as he kept to the right lines. I did not think it was a mark of leadership to try to make the people do what one wanted them to do.” Though he died July 22nd, 1950, his legacy will forever live on. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Information taken