Arthur Meighen

The Right Honourable Arthur Meighen PC QC
Meighen c. 1920s
9th Prime Minister of Canada
In office June 29, 1926 – September 25, 1926
Monarch	George V
Governor General	The Lord Byng of Vimy
Preceded by	W. L. Mackenzie King
Succeeded by	W. L. Mackenzie King
In office July 10, 1920 – December 29, 1921
Monarch	George V
Governors General	The Duke of Devonshire The Lord Byng of Vimy
Preceded by	Robert Borden
Succeeded by	W. L. Mackenzie King
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office November 12, 1941 – December 9, 1942
Preceded by	Richard Hanson (interim)
Succeeded by	John Bracken
In office July 10, 1920 – September 24, 1926
Preceded by	Robert Borden
Succeeded by	Hugh Guthrie (interim)
Leader of the Government in the Senate Minister Without Portfolio
In office February 3, 1932 – October 22, 1935
Prime Minister	R.B. Bennett
Preceded by	Wellington Bartley Willoughby
Succeeded by	Raoul Dandurand
Canadian Senator from Ontario
In office February 3, 1932 – January 16, 1942
Nominated by	R.B. Bennett
Appointed by	Earl of Bessborough
Minister of the Interior Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs
In office October 12, 1917 – July 10, 1920
Prime Minister	Robert Borden
Preceded by	William James Roche
Succeeded by	James Alexander Lougheed
Solicitor General of Canada
In office June 26, 1913 – October 3, 1917
Prime Minister	Robert Borden
Preceded by	vacant
Succeeded by	Hugh Guthrie (acting)
Member of the House of Commons of Canada
In office January 26, 1922 – September 14, 1926
In office October 26, 1908 – December 6, 1921
Personal details
Born	(1874-06-16)June 16, 1874 Anderson, Ontario, Canada
Died	August 5, 1960(1960-08-05) (aged 86) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Resting place	St. Marys Cemetery, St. Marys, Ontario
Political party	Conservative (1908–1917, 1922–1942) Unionist (1917–1922) Progressive Conservative (1942–1960)
Spouse	Jessie Isabel Cox ​ (m. 1904)​
Children	Theodore Meighen Maxwell Meighen Lillian Meighen Wright
Relatives	Michael Meighen (grandson)
Education	University College, Toronto (BA)
Signature
Arthur Meighen's voice Arthur Meighen delivering a speech about John A. Macdonald on the 50th anniversary of his death.

Arthur Meighen PC QC (/ˈmiːən/ MEE-ən; June 16, 1874 – August 5, 1960) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the ninth prime minister of Canada from 1920 to 1921 and from June to September 1926. He led the Conservative Party from 1920 to 1926 and from 1941 to 1942.

Meighen was born in St. Marys, Ontario. His family came from County Londonderry, Ireland. He studied mathematics at the University of Toronto, and then trained to be a lawyer. After qualifying to practise law, he moved to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Meighen entered the House of Commons of Canada in 1908, and in 1913 was appointed to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Robert Borden. Meighen prominently served as solicitor general, minister of the interior, and superintendent-general of Indian affairs.

In July 1920, Meighen succeeded Borden as Conservative leader and prime minister – the first born after Confederation. Meighen suffered a heavy defeat in the 1921 election to Mackenzie King and the Liberal Party. Meighen lost his seat but re-entered Parliament through a 1922 by-election and remained Opposition leader. In the 1925 election, the Conservatives won a plurality of seats, just eight short of a majority government, but Mackenzie King decided to hold onto power with the support of the Progressive Party. Meighen's brief second term as prime minister in 1926 came about as the result of the "King–Byng Affair," being invited to form a ministry after Mackenzie King was refused an election request and resigned. He soon lost a no-confidence motion, however, and faced another federal election. Meighen lost his own seat, and the Conservatives lost 24, as Mackenzie King's Liberals re-took power.

After losing the 1926 election, Meighen resigned as party leader and quit politics to return to his law practice. He was appointed to the Senate in 1932, and under Prime Minister R. B. Bennett served as leader of the Government in the Senate and minister without portfolio until 1935. In 1941, Meighen became leader of the Conservatives for a second time, following Robert Manion's resignation. Meighen unsuccessfully attempted to re-enter the House of Commons in a by-election for York South and resigned as leader shortly thereafter. He returned to practising law afterwards.