James Horace King, (January 18, 1873 – July 14, 1955) was a Canadian physician and parliamentarian. Born in Chipman, New Brunswick, James King was the son of George Gerald King, a businessman and Canadian politician in his own right. The elder King was a Liberal Member of Parliament in the nineteenth century, and a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from 1896 until his death in 1928. The younger King earned his MD from McGill University in 1895. After practicing medicine for a short period in New Brunswick, he moved to the Kootenay region of British Columbia in 1898 serving a large rural territory. In 1910, he attended an international medical conference in Budapest, and played a leading role in establishing the

American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913.American College of Surgeons Online "What is the American College of Surgeons?"/ref> See also *American College of Physicians The American College o ...

in Chicago, serving as a governor of the college. In 1932, he was created a Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem for his services to medicine. In 1903, King was elected as a British Columbia Liberal Party member of the

British Columbia Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria. Members are elected from provincial r ...

for the riding of Cranbrook and was re-elected in 1907 before leaving provincial politics in 1909 to return to medicine. A supporter of Sir Wilfrid Laurier, King was a Liberal candidate in the riding of Kootenay in the 1911 federal election but was defeated. He returned to the provincial legislature in 1916, joining the provincial

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

as Minister of Public Works. He served in that portfolio until 1922 when he was offered a federal Cabinet position by Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. J.H. King became Minister of Public Works shortly before winning a by-election to enter the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

as MP for Kootenay East. In 1926, King became Minister of Soldiers’ Civil Reestablishment and minister responsible for the Department of Health. In 1928, he became the country's first Minister of Pensions and National Health. He was appointed to the Senate on Prime Minister Mackenzie King's recommendation on June 7, 1930, shortly before the defeat of Mackenzie King's government. In 1942, King returned to Cabinet as

Leader of the Government in the Canadian Senate The representative of the Government in the Senate (french: représentant du gouvernement au Sénat) is the member of the Senate of Canada who is responsible for introducing, promoting, and defending the government's bills in the Senate after th ...

. In this capacity, he attended the June 1945 San Francisco Conference that established the United Nations. In August 1945, he was appointed Speaker of the Senate of Canada chairing sessions of the upper house until 1949. He then served as co-chairman of the joint Senate–House of Commons Committee on Old Age Security which reported in 1950. King remained a Senator until his death in 1955. He died in office, and was buried in British Columbia, at Ocean View Cemetery in Burnaby.City of Ottawa Archive; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Date Range: 1955–1956; Microfilm Number: 432

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:King, James Horace 1873 births 1955 deaths Physicians from British Columbia Liberal Party of Canada MPs McGill University Faculty of Medicine alumni Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Speakers of the Senate of Canada Canadian senators from British Columbia British Columbia Liberal Party MLAs