Sir Michael Patrick Cashin, (29 September 1864 – 30 August 1926) was a Newfoundland businessman and politician. He was elected to the legislature in 1893 as an independent but worked closely with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. In 1907 he joined the

Newfoundland People's Party {{Infobox political party , name = Newfoundland People's Party , colorcode = {{Canadian party colour, NF, People's , foundation = 1907 , ideology = Social democracyIrish Catholic interests , headquarters = St. John's , country = Canada , di ...

of Sir

Edward Patrick Morris Edward Patrick Morris, 1st Baron Morris (May 8, 1859 – October 24, 1935) was a Newfoundlander lawyer and Prime Minister of Newfoundland. Born in St. John's, the son of Edward Morris and Catherine Fitzgerald, he was educated at Saint Bonaven ...

and became minister of finance in 1909. When Morris resigned as party leader, Cashin succeeded him. The People's Party had formed a wartime national government which opposition member

William F. Lloyd Sir William Frederick Lloyd (December 17, 1864 – June 13, 1937) was a newspaper editor and Prime Minister of Newfoundland from 1918 to 1919. Born in Stockport, England, Lloyd emigrated to Newfoundland in 1890 where he taught school before ...

, a Liberal, had joined as minister of justice. Despite the fact that Cashin had succeeded Morris as leader of the dominant party, the governor appointed Lloyd to the position of prime minister. On 20 May 1919, Cashin, who was still minister of finance, rose and moved a

motion of no confidence A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...

in the government he was a member of. The motion passed and Cashin became prime minister. Cashin's government was short-lived, however; the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible governme ...

had not seen an election for six years due to the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and a return to the polls was long overdue. An election was held in November 1919 which defeated Cashin's government and elected the opposition Liberals (now called the ''Liberal Reform Party''). In opposition Cashin changed the name of the People's Party to the

Liberal-Labour-Progressive {{Infobox political party , name = Newfoundland People's Party , colorcode = {{Canadian party colour, NF, People's , foundation = 1907 , ideology = Social democracyIrish Catholic interests , headquarters = St. John's , country = Canada , di ...

Party before retiring as party leader in 1923. He did not run for re-election in 1924. Cashin's son,

Peter John Cashin Major Peter John Cashin (March 8, 1890 – May 21, 1977) was a businessman, soldier and politician in Newfoundland. Early life Cashin, a son of Sir Michael Cashin, joined the Newfoundland Regiment during World War I and ultimately served in the ...

, was a prominent Newfoundland politician in his own right and his grandson,

Richard Cashin Richard Joseph Cashin, (born January 5, 1937 in St. John's, Newfoundland) is a lawyer, former Canadian politician and trade union leader. The grandson of Sir Michael Cashin, KBE and nephew of Peter Cashin, Richard Cashin is a member of a ...

was a federal politician in the 1960s and a trade union leader in the 1970s and 1980s. He was created a Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1918. He died at his home in St. John's on 30 August 1926.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cashin, Michael Patrick 1864 births 1926 deaths Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Prime Ministers of the Dominion of Newfoundland Newfoundland People's Party MHAs