George Perry Graham, PC (March 31, 1859 – January 1, 1943) was a journalist, editor and politician in Ontario, Canada.

In the 1898 Ontario provincial election, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Brockville, and re-elected in 1902 and 1905. In 1904, he was appointed to the cabinet as Provincial Secretary by Premier George William Ross and served in that position until the Ross government lost the election of 1905.

Graham was unanimously elected leader of the Ontario Liberal Party by the party's caucus on January 25, 1907, following the resignation of George William Ross.[1][2] On August 30, 1907, Graham was appointed Minister of Railways and Canals by Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier[3] and resigned as both leader and MPP for Brockville in September.[4]

Ross won the Brockville seat in the House of Commons of Canada in a by-election in 1907. He was defeated in the 1911 federal election that brought Robert Borden's Conservatives to power, but returned to the House of Commons in a 1912 by-election. He did not run in the 1917 election, but then was elected in Essex South in 1921.

In 1921, he served in a number of defence portfolios (Minister of Militia and Defence and Minister of the Naval Service from 1921 to 1922 and then as Minister of Defence from January 1 to April 27, 1923) in the first cabinet of William Lyon Mackenzie King. He lost his seat in the 1925 federal election, but was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1926, and sat in that body until his death in 1943. He was appointed as a member of the King's Privy Council for Canada in 1907[5] and as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in 1925.[6]

Electoral record

1908 Canadian federal election: Brockville
Party Candidate Votes
Liberal Hon. G. P. Graham 2,144
Conservative John Webster 2,000
1911 Canadian federal election: Brockville
Party Candidate Votes
Conservative John Webster 2,251
Liberal Hon. G. P. Graham 2,140

See also

References

  1. ^ "A Caucus of the Liberal Members to Choose Chief". The Toronto Star. January 14, 1907. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  2. ^ "George P. Graham Chosen Leader of the Opposition". The Toronto Star. January 25, 1907. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  3. ^ "Guide to Canadian Ministries Since Confederation". Government of Canada. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
  4. ^ "George Perry Graham". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
  5. ^ Office, Privy Council (December 11, 2017). "King's Privy Council for Canada - Privy Council Office". www.canada.ca. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  6. ^ "Page 4259 | Issue 33060, 26 June 1925 | London Gazette | The Gazette". www.thegazette.co.uk. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Perry_Graham