Document Record

Creator

Bennett, R. B. (Richard Bedford), 1870-1947

Title

R.B. Bennett fonds : finding aid 434
Fonds R.B. Bennett

Identifier

lac_mikan_105122
106850
MG 26 K
R11336-0-7-E
R11336-0-7-F
Papers
Politics and politicians
Business and commerce
oocihm.lac_mikan_105122

Document source

Library and Archives Canada / Bibliothèque et Archives Canada

Language

English

Description

Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett (1870 - 1947) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He served as the 11th Prime Minister of Canada from 1930 to 1935, during the worst of the Great Depression years. Bennett also held the offices of Minister of Finance between 1930 and 1932, and Secretary of State for External Affairs between 1930 and 1935. Bennett served as Leader of the Opposition until 1938 when he retired from active political life. Bennett then moved to England, and was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Bennett. Relative to the times he lived in, he was likely the wealthiest Canadian to become prime minister as he was a controlling owner of the E.B. Eddy match company, which was the largest safety match manufacturer in Canada. He was noted for his philanthropy and reportedly helped put a number of struggling young men through university.
This collection consists of the finding aid to the R. B. Bennett fonds. Among the matters with which the government was concerned with under his leadership were: tariff revision, trade, finance, unemployment relief and farm relief. Other prominent subjects include banking, the civil service, the Imperial Conference in 1930, the Imperial Economic Conference of 1932, the workings of the Conservative Party, requests for assistance, grain and railways.

URL

https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_mikan_105122