U.S. President Theodore Roosvelt had Canada on his mind on this date in 1908. He wrote a letter to our own Sir Wilfrid Laurier to report on his discussions with a youthful Canadian by the name of William Lyon Mackenzie King at the White House the previous day. The latter was a civil servant at the time and had traveled to Washington at Roosevelt’s request to discuss concerns about immigration from Japan shared by both nations, and British leaders. King also hand-delivered a private letter from Laurier to the President.
“I have spoken with Mr. King in entire freedom and frankness,” Roosevelt assured Laurier. “Believe me, my dear Sir Wilfrid, that it was a particular pleasure to hear from you and to meet Mr. King and I feel that the directness, simplicity and good faith of such a communication is a happy omen for the future, and as an admirer of your personally and of the great and wonderful country at the head of whose government you stand, I am exceedingly pleased at the steps that have been taken to bring our several peoples into more friendly and closer connection.”
Today is also the birthday of one of Canada’s most overlooked Prime Ministers. Louis St.-Laurent was born on this date in 1882. Happy birthday Uncle Louis!
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.
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.