The Lost Prime Ministers: Macdonald's Successors Abbott, Thompson, Bowell, and Tupper

by Michael Hill

After John A. Macdonald’s death, four Tory prime ministers ― each remarkable but all little known ― rose to power and fell in just five years.

From 1891 to 1896, between John A. Macdonald’s and Wilfrid Laurier’s tenures, four lesser-known men took on the mantle of leadership. Tory prime ministers John Abbott, John Thompson, Mackenzie Bowell, and Charles Tupper headed the government of Canada in rapid succession. Each came to the job with qualifications and limitations, and each left after unexpectedly short terms. Yet these reluctant prime ministers are an important part of our political legacy. Their roles were much more than caretakers between the administrations of two great leaders. Personal tragedy, terrible health issues, backstabbing, and political manipulation all led to their eventual downfalls. The Lost Prime Ministers is the dramatic saga of these overlooked Canadian leaders.

Genres: History, Politics, Biography, Nonfiction, Canada

280 pages, Paperback

Published March 22, 2022

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers a unique period in Canadian history when the country had four prime ministers over the course of five years after Sir John A. MacDonald died. While most people would know little about the four men today, each was very accomplished in their chosen fields before becoming prime minister and impacted the early days of Canada in their own way. The first chapter covers MacDonald's last years, giving context for the years 1891-96. I found the chapter on Abbott very interesting since, like me, he was an Anglophone Montrealer and I could connect with many of the places and situations described. Thompson was the prime minister that is tagged with the title of "what could have been." He was the consensus successor to MacDonald, but Abbott was chosen as a sort of placeholder until Thompson was ready. But after only two years in office, Thompson died suddenly at the age of 50, leaving his potential unfulfilled. Bowell and Tupper were once again placeholders in some sense. Bowell was a lifelong politician who was more comfortable behind the scenes than in leadership, and ended up being squeezed out by his own party. Tupper was a Father of Confederation who in his 70s was probably past his prime, and would have made a great prime minister a decade earlier. He eventually lost the 1896 election to Wilfrid Laurier, whose ascendancy and work is covered briefly in the last chapter. A good biography tells the story not only of the subject but of the times they live in. This book succeeds by telling the story of Canada in it's early years through the story of these four men. Very interesting and accessible book, not overly academic.

[Burt Schoeppe · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone with an avid interest in history and Canadian politics I was looking forward to reading this book. My enthusiasm was not rewarded.

The book reads as if Hill wrote four essays, one for each prime minister, and then added an introductory and concluding chapter and called it a day.

The book is surprisingly thin and needlessly repetitive at the same time. Many statements are made in the book with no support. Yet major issues of the day are revisited four times in a number of cases.

A glaring lack of knowledge of modern Canadian politics is evidenced in Hill's reference to modern "delegated" conventions for picking leaders. None of the four parties currently represented in the House of Commons that have served as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition chose their current leader in a delegated convention. The Bloc's acclamation of Blanchet would have been a one member one vote election. The Conservatives, Liberals and NDP all chose their current leaders via some form of vote of the membership. The leaders of all four parties were in place at the time Hill wrote the book.

A profoundly disappointing book.

[Adrian]

The story of the four prime ministers of Canada who served between 1891 and 1896 between the two long reigns of Macdonald and Laurier. They are Abbott, Thompson, Bowell and Tupper. The first two were victims of their health (Abbott had cancer and had to step down, Thompson died in office of heart failure). Bowell was forced out due to cabinet revolt over his leadership and Tupper lost to Laurier in an election. This was an era in which Protestant-Catholic rivalry and hatreds were paramount (Protestants called Catholics perverts) and all four of these PMs stumbled over the issue of minority language rights. Thompson and Tupper had some ability, Abbott was a caretaker PM and Bowell should never have been given the job. Unbelievably in these days it was up to the Governor General to decide who to offer the leadership to in instances of vacancy such as these. Hall does as well as he can limiting repetition and bringing their lives off the page.

[Rob Dekker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our Canadian history is not boring. The Lost Prime Ministers details the lives of the four Prime Ministers - their rise, fall and deaths that took them into and out of the Office of the Prime Minister.
The Lost Primie Ministers details a time when party leaders were selected, not by convention, but by consensus of cabinet and even on the death bed of a Prime Minister.

Those who thrive in today's political landscape will find The Lost Prime Ministers a refreshing read, and may even have themselves, as I did, going back in to the parliament's hansard to read speeches that Micheal Hill brings to our attention.

Hill writes about our history clearly and in a fashion that doesn't feel like we have daggers in our eyes. This is an interesting, informative and a polically entertaining read.

[George Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must read for those interested in Cansdian history. Although each of them spent very short periods in the Prime Minister's office, all of them were accomplished men who left a positive mark on the relatively new nation.

[Andrew Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope they find them :)

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look at the four Canadian prime ministers who all briefly served between the death of Sir John A. Macdonald in 1891 and the election of Sir Wilfred Laurier in 1896. Hill gives each one of Abbott, Thompson, Bowell, and Tupper a full chapter, which is probably the most that's been written about any of them in a long time, and covers their entire life, with of course a focus on their time as prime minister. He shows that the four men here were not just placeholders between two of the most important prime ministers in Canadian history, but each a qualified individual, who in different times may have been able to prove themselves in such a role. The book is also a very easy read, and it shows the Hill has experience as a teacher in how he presents the material, but still comprehensive and thorough. The only real drawback would be the lack of photos, but that pales to what is written inside.

[Dan Morley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book fills an important gap in Canada's political history. It tells the very interesting story of the four prime ministers who succeeded Sir John A. Macdonald. Of these, Abbott, Thompson, and Tupper were all impressive, accomplished individuals, while Bowell, though a decent administrator and an honest man, was over his head. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Abbott, about whom little has been written. The book is nicely written and a pleasure to read-the leaders and the history of their times are brought to life. Highly recommended.

[Marshall Chapman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehhhhhh