Sir Wilfrid Laurier (1841-1919) was a Canadian political leader. Head of the Liberal party and prime minister, he spurred Canada's economy but foundered on questions of conscription and protective tariffs.

Wilfrid Laurier was born at Saint-Lin, Canada East (now Quebec), on Nov. 20, 1841. He attended Collège L'Assomption and McGill University, where he studied law. Already fluently bilingual, Laurier was rapidly developing into a superb orator in both of Canada's languages, but his health was delicate and he moved into rural Quebec in an effort to strengthen himself. At Arthabaskaville he practiced law and for a time was editor of a newspaper, Le Défricheur.

Laurier entered politics in 1871, winning a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, and in 1874 he entered the House of Commons at Ottawa. For a period of a year he was minister of inland revenue in the Alexander Mackenzie government but seemed...