September is so far proving a good one for all my Tory friends to recall important dates in Conservative history. And today brings us another anniversary this generation of Tories can also recall with pride. It was, of course, on this date in 1911 that Nova Scotia-born Robert Laird Borden defeated the great Sir Wilfrid Laurier in the famous reciprocity election. Having been knighted by the King in 1915, Borden later won re-election in 1917, ultimately serving nine years, demonstrating honour and skill, as Canada’s 8th Prime Minister. It fell to Prime Minister Borden to lead Canada through the First World War.  While his accomplishments are legion, rarely mentioned is the fact he was able to attract two future Prime Ministers – Arthur Meighen and R.B. Bennett – to his side.  Though Sir Robert retired in 1920, he remained in Ottawa, and over the years was continually honoured at state affairs, attended various meetings of the Canadian Club and other bodies and even, in 1927, helped dedicate the commanding statue of his late opponent, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, on Parliament Hill. Borden also spent many years writing his two-volume Memoirs, arguably one of the best ever produced by a past Prime Minister. Sir Robert Borden passed away in 1937. caption id="attachment_583614" align="alignleft" width="206" Portrait of Sir Robert Borden/caption Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist.  He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy.  A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.