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Clarence Decatur "C.D." Howe, PC (January 15, 1886 - December 31, 1960) was a leading Canadian politician. In the 1940s and 1950s, he was known as the "Minister of Everything."

Contents 1 Early years 2 Politics 3 Second World War 4 Postwar 5 Defeat 6 Legacy 7 External links

[edit] Early years

Howe was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received an engineering degree. He emigrated to Canada in 1908 to teach at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. Howe was successful as a professor, but found it dreary and left to design grain elevators on the Canadian prairies. In 1916, he formed his own engineering firm at Port Arthur, Ontario, that specialized in elevator design. His business prospered and he was soon very wealthy. The Great Depression hit his business hard, however, and it folded in 1935.

[edit] Politics

Howe was asked to enter politics by William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Party, and was elected in October 1935 in the constituency of Port Arthur, Ontario. Although he lacked prior political experience, he entered the cabinet, becoming the last Minister of Railways and Canals and the first Minister of Transport.

[edit] Second World War

During the Second World War, Howe played a pivotal role as Minister of Munitions and Supply. Howe wielded extraordinary powers, and soon used many government powers to build an efficient war machine. His role in the war effort was recognized by his appointment, in 1946, to the Imperial Privy Council, enabling him to use the honorific of Right Honourable.

[edit] Postwar

After the war, Howe came to symbolize the Liberal government of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, first as Minister of Reconstruction, and then as Minister of Trade and Commerce. Howe maintained close relations with Canadian business leaders, and guaranteed their support of the Liberals, despite their conservative tendencies.

Howe ran much of the government, and was the second most powerful man in the country, dubbed "Minister of Everything" by supporters and opponents alike. He became well-known for arrogance, however. He described Question Period in the Canadian House of Commons as "children's hour," and was frequently quoted as having said "What's a million?" a phrase he never used in Commons. In the debate on the Trans-Canada Pipeline, Howe tried to force the public-private Pipeline partnership through Parliament by using closure at every stage of the debate.

Howe also personally selected Crawford Gordon in 1952 to take over the presidency of A.V. Roe Canada, better known as Avro Canada, designers and manufacturers of aircraft and engines, when the Royal Canadian Air Force was looking for a new supersonic interceptor aircraft with Mach 2.5 capability that could counter a Soviet bomber threat. Howe supported funding of the projects until the defeat of the St. Laurent government in 1957, although warning Gordon not to spend like it was wartime. Howe had championed the development of the Avro Arrow and its the Avro Orenda Iroquois engine (substituted after a Rolls-Royce engine became unavailable). The aircraft and engine project that cost hundreds of millions of dollars was cancelled on 20 February 1959.

[edit] Defeat

In part because of the pipeline and Howe's behaviour, two decades of Liberal rule came to an end in a surprise defeat to John Diefenbaker's Progressive Conservatives in 1957. Many observers were shocked when Howe himself lost his northern Ontario seat to Port Arthur Collegiate Institute high school teacher Douglas Fisher, later a national newspaper columnist.

[edit] Legacy

Despite these failures, Howe is still today viewed as one of the men who made Canada into a modern industrial power. Howe played an important role in setting up many of the pillars of the Canadian economy such as Air Canada, the St. Lawrence Seaway and Canadian National Railway. The C.D. Howe Building, the home of Industry Canada in Ottawa and the C.D. Howe Institute, an economic policy think tank, are named after him.

On his passing in 1960, C. D. Howe was interred in the Mount Royal Cemetery in Montreal, Quebec.

[edit] External links

• Historical information from the Library of Parliament

Preceded by: Robert James Manion	Minister of Railways and Canals October 23 1935 – November 1 1936	Succeeded by: Position discontinued
Preceded by: New position	Minister of Transport 1936 – 1940	Succeeded by: Pierre Cardin
Preceded by: Pierre Cardin	Minister of Transport 1942	Succeeded by: Joseph Enoil Michaud
Preceded by: The electoral district was created in 1933.	Member of Parliament for Port Arthur 1935 – 1957	Succeeded by: Douglas Fisher

fr:Clarence Decatur Howe