Richard Burpee Hanson, (March 20, 1879 – July 14, 1948) was a Canadian politician who served as interim leader of the Conservative Party from May 14, 1940, until November 11, 1941.

Early life and education

Hanson was born on March 20, 1879, in Bocabec,

Charlotte County, New Brunswick Charlotte County (2021 population 26,015) is the most southwestern county of New Brunswick, Canada. It was formed in 1784 when New Brunswick was partitioned from Nova Scotia and named for Queen Charlotte. Once a layer of local government, t ...

, to parents Richard B. and Hannah Hanson. He was educated in public schools in St. Andrews, New Brunswick,

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Mount Allison was the first university in the British Empire to award a baccal ...

, and Dalhousie Law School.

Career

Hanson was admitted to the Bar of New Brunswick in November 1902 and was created a

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

by the Government of New Brunswick in January 1917. From 1918 to 1920, he was Mayor of

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River, ...

. First elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for the New Brunswick electoral district of York—Sunbury in the 1921 general election, Hanson served continuously in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

until his defeat in the 1935 election. He was appointed to the Cabinet of R. B. Bennett in 1934 as Minister of Trade and Commerce. In the 1940 election, he returned to Parliament despite the poor showing of the Conservatives in that election and the personal defeat of Robert Manion. Since Manion resigned two months after the election, the Conservative

caucus A caucus is a group or meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to ...

chose Hanson as interim leader and he served as Conservative Party Leader until Arthur Meighen was appointed the party's new leader in November 1941. As Meighen did not have a seat in the House (and then failed to win a seat through a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

), Hanson continued as

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

until 1943.

Death and legacy

Hanson died on July 14, 1948, due to illness. The

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

hands out the Richard Burpee Hanson Prize to a Faculty of Arts male student with the highest grades in English and History in the Sophomore level.

Electoral history

References

Bibliography