We have a Prime Ministerial birthday to celebrate on Art’s History today. It was on this date in 1821 that the Warhorse of Cumberland County, Charles Tupper, entered the world. He would go on to become a medical doctor before entering politics. One of the most important Fathers of Confederation, Tupper would become Prime Minister and head of the Tory part in 1896. His term, however, would only last 66 days (the shortest for any Prime Minister) and he was succeeded by Wilfrid Laurier who bested him in the June election that year. Despite his defeat, he remained one of the most important leaders of his generation whose role in the Confederation story was as crucial as it was foundational. Happy birthday Sir Charles!
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.