George Eulas Foster
| Sir George Eulas Foster | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Senator for Toronto, Ontario | |
|
In office September 22, 1921 – December 30, 1931 |
|
| Appointed by | Arthur Meighen |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for York |
|
|
In office 1896–1900 |
|
| Preceded by | Thomas Temple |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Gibson |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Toronto North |
|
|
In office 1904–1921 |
|
| Preceded by | District was created in 1903 |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Langton Church |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for King's |
|
|
In office 1882–1896 |
|
| Preceded by | James Domville |
| Succeeded by | James Domville |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 3, 1847 Carleton County, New Brunswick |
| Died | December 30, 1931 (aged 84) |
| Resting place | Beechwood Cemetery |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Adeline Davis Chisholm (July 2, 1889 – September 17, 1919); Jessie Allan (1920 – ?) |
| Education | University of New Brunswick (B.A.) |
Sir George Eulas Foster, GCMG, (Canadian) PC, (Imperial) PC (September 3, 1847 – December 30, 1931) was a Canadian politician and academic. He coined the phrase "splendid isolation" to praise British foreign policy in the late 19th century.
Foster was a Member of Parliament (MP) and a Senator in the Canadian Parliament for a total of 45 years, 5 months and 24 days. He enjoys the unique distinction of having served in the cabinets of seven Canadian Prime Ministers: Macdonald, Abbott, Thompson, Bowell, Tupper, Borden and Meighen.
Aside from his severe and lugubrious personality, two factors thwarted whatever ambitions he may have had to become Prime Minister himself: his legally questionable marriage in Chicago to his newly divorced former landlady, and his later involvement in a trust company scandal.
Born in Carleton County, New Brunswick, Foster received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Brunswick in 1868. He taught in various high schools and seminaries until 1870 when he was appointed Professor of Classics and Ancient Literature in the University of New Brunswick. He shortly afterwards studied in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Heidelberg, Germany, resuming his professorship in 1873. He resigned in 1879 and became a noted temperance lecturer.
Foster entered politics with his election to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1882 federal election as a Conservative MP representing New Brunswick. He joined the Cabinet of Sir John A. Macdonald as Minister of Marine and Fisheries in 1885, and was promoted to Minister of Finance in 1888. Foster retained this position after Macdonald's death and through the successive governments of Prime Ministers Abbott, Thompson, Bowell and Tupper. He led a group of seven cabinet ministers who resigned temporarily in January 1896 to force the retirement of Bowell, who denounced them as a 'nest of traitors'. Foster's debates with Sir Richard Cartwright, the former Liberal Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Mackenzie, are the stuff of Canadian Parliamentary legend.
...
Wikipedia