William Stevens Fielding
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The Right Honourable William Stevens Fielding (November 24, 1848-June 23, 1929) was a Canadian journalist, politician, and Premier of Nova Scotia. Fielding became leader of the anti-confederation Nova Scotia Liberal Party. 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.
In 1896, he left provincial politics to become Minister of Finance in the Liberal government of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. In 1910, he negotiated a reciprocity or free trade agreement with the United States 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.
Fielding supported the Unionist government of Sir Robert Borden during the Conscription Crisis of 1917 and returned to the House of Commons as a Liberal-Unionist. Fielding had widely been seen as Laurier's successor but his betrayal of the party over the conscription issue cost him the 1919 Liberal leadership convention where he lost to William Lyon Mackenzie King by 38 votes. He served again as minister of finance in King's first government formed after the 1921 election. He retired from politics in 1925.
External links
- Political biography from the Library of Parliament (http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?lang=E&query=15073&s=M)
| Preceded by: William T. Pipes | Premier of Nova Scotia 1884-1896 | Succeeded by: George H. Murray |
| Preceded by: Sir George Eulas Foster | Minister of Finance 20 July 1896 – 6 October 1911 | Succeeded by: Sir Thomas White |
| Preceded by: Sir Henry Drayton | Minister of Finance 29 December 1921 – 4 September 1925 | Succeeded by: James Robb |