William Stevens Fielding, (November 24, 1848 – June 23, 1929) was a Canadian Liberal politician, the seventh premier of Nova Scotia (1884–96), and the federal

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

from 1896 to 1911 and again from 1921 to 1925.

Early life

He was born in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

. Fielding became leader of the

Anti-Confederation Party ''Anti-Confederation'' was the name used in what is now the Maritimes by several parties opposed to Canadian Confederation. The Anti-Confederation parties were accordingly opposed by the Confederation Party, that is, the Conservative and Liberal ...

(

Nova Scotia Liberal Party The Nova Scotia Liberal Party is a centrist provincial political party in Nova Scotia, Canada and the provincial section of the Liberal Party of Canada. The party currently forms the Official Opposition in Nova Scotia, under the leadership of Z ...

). In 1884, he became Premier and won the 1886 election on a pledge to remove Nova Scotia from confederation. When he failed to do this, he turned to economic matters including developing the coal industry. The Liberal Party of Nova Scotia fared poorly in national elections during the 1880s and early 1890s. The national party advocated policies that would discontinue the national coal subsidy and, for all practical purposes, eliminate Catholic schools in Manitoba, policies disliked by provincial coal miners and Catholics respectively. Fielding forged a more moderate coal policy and defused the school issue, winning back Catholics. Thus in 1896 the provincial Liberals improved their showing in the national election.K. M. McLaughlin, "W. S. Fielding and the Liberal Party in Nova Scotia, 1891–1896," ''Acadiensis'', Spring 1974, Vol. 3#2 pp 65–79

Federal politics

In 1896, he left provincial politics to become Minister of Finance in the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

government of Sir

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...

. In 1910, he negotiated a reciprocity or

free trade Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...

agreement with the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

which led to the government's defeat in the 1911 general election. Fielding lost his seat, and became editor of the ''Daily Telegraph'' of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

First World War

Fielding supported the Unionist government of Sir

Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I. Borde ...

during the Conscription Crisis of 1917 and returned to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

as a Liberal-Unionist member.

Liberal leadership convention, 1919

Fielding had widely been seen as Laurier's successor but his split with the party over the conscription issue cost him the 1919 Liberal leadership convention where he lost to

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A L ...

by 38 votes.

Service in Mackenzie King's first Administration

He served again as

in King's first government formed after the 1921 election.

Later life

William Stevens Fielding, Vanity Fair, 1909-11-03

He retired from politics in 1925. In 1923, Fielding was sworn into the Privy Council of the United Kingdom allowing him to be styled as

Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

, a rare privilege among Canadians who have not served as Prime Minister, Governor-General, or Chief Justice of Canada. He died in Ottawa.

Notes

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fielding, William Stevens 1848 births 1884 in Canada 1929 deaths Canadian Baptists Canadian Ministers of Finance Canadian Ministers of Railways and Canals Canadian people of English descent Liberal Party of Canada MPs Liberal Party of Canada leadership candidates Liberal-Unionist MPs in Canada Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia Canadian members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Nova Scotia Liberal Party MLAs People from Halifax, Nova Scotia Premiers of Nova Scotia Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) 19th-century Baptists Nova Scotia political party leaders