William Lyon Mackenzie King

King on old Canadian fifty dollar note (top) and new Canadian fifty dollar note (bottom), photo by Vanell/Bigstock.com

Date of Birth: December 17, 1874

Place of Birth: Berlin, Ontario, Canada

Date of Death: July 22, 1950

Place of Death: Chelsea, Québec, Canada

Ethnicity: Scottish

William Lyon Mackenzie King was a Canadian politician. A member of the Liberal Party, he served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada, from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926, again from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930, and again from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948. As such, at a total of 22 years, he is Canada’s longest-serving Prime Minister. He was a Member of Parliament for Waterloo North (ON), from October 26, 1908 to September 21, 1911; for Prince (PEI), from October 20, 1919 to December 5, 1921; for York North (ON), from December 6, 1921 to October 28, 1925; for Prince Albert (SK), from February 15, 1926 to June 10, 1945; and for Glengarry (ON), from August 6, 1945 to June 26, 1949.

Prime Minister King was the son of Isabel Grace (MacKenzie) and John King. All of Prime Minister King’s grandparents were Scottish. Prime Minister King’s mother was born in New York, where her family had left as refugees after the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion failed.

Prime Minister King’s paternal grandfather was named John King. John was born in Tyrie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Prime Minister King’s paternal grandmother was named Christina Macdougall.

Prime Minister King’s maternal grandfather was William Lyon Mackenzie (the son of Daniel Mackenzie and Elizabeth Chambers). Prime Minister King’s grandfather William was born in Springfield, Dundee, Scotland, and was the first Mayor of Toronto, from 1834 to 1835, as well as a leader in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion against Upper Canada’s government, and President of the Republic of Canada from 1837 to 1838.

Prime Minister King’s maternal grandmother was Isabel Baxter (the daughter of Peter Baxter and Margaret Barbara Baillie). Isabel was born in Dundee, Angusshire, Scotland. Peter was the son of George Baxter and Rebecca Hunter.

Sources: Genealogies of William Lyon Mackenzie King – http://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com