View source for 1948 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1948 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election
| country = Canada
| flag_year = 1921
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 
| previous_year = [[1919 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election|1919]]
| next_election = 
| next_year = [[1958 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election|1958]]
| election_date = August 7, 1948
| 1blank = {{nowrap|Delegate count}}
| 2blank = Percentage

| image1 = [[File:Louis St. Laurent portrait.jpg|150px]]
| colour1 = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|nohash}}
| candidate1 = '''[[Louis St. Laurent]]'''
| 1data1 = '''848'''
| 2data1 = '''69.1%'''

| image2 = [[File:Jimmy Gardiner (3x4).jpg|150px]]
| colour2 = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|nohash}}
| candidate2 = [[James Garfield Gardiner|James G. Gardiner]]
| 1data2 = 323
| 2data2 = 26.3%

| title = Leader
| posttitle = 
| before_election = [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]]
| after_election = [[Louis St. Laurent]]
}}

{{Infobox leadership election|
 party = Liberal|
 colour = {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}|
 year = 1948|
 logo = |
 date  =  August 7, 1948|
 location = Ottawa Coliseum,<br />[[Lansdowne Park]],<br />[[Ottawa, Ontario]] |
 winner = [[Louis St. Laurent]] |
 replaces = [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]] |
 numcands = 3|
 ballots = 1|
 entryfee = |
 spendcap = |
}}

The '''1948 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election''' was called to replace retiring Liberal leader and sitting [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]]. The convention was held exactly 29 years after the [[Liberal Party of Canada leadership elections#1919 leadership convention results|1919 leadership convention]] that saw King elected Liberal leader. The [[National Film Board of Canada]] made a short film about the event for its ''Eye Witness'' series.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eye Witness No. 6 |url=http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/our-collection/?idfilm=16710 |website=onf-nfb.gc.ca |publisher=National Film Board of Canada |access-date=11 March 2023}}</ref>

[[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)|Secretary of State for External Affairs]] [[Louis St. Laurent]] defeated [[Minister of Agriculture (Canada)|Minister of Agriculture]] (and former [[Premier of Saskatchewan]]) [[James Garfield Gardiner]] and former cabinet minister [[Charles Gavan Power]] on the first ballot, and would be sworn in as prime minister later that year.

==Candidates==

=== James Garfield Gardiner ===
[[File:Jimmy Gardiner.jpg|150px|thumb|James Garfield Gardiner]]
;Background
[[Premier of Saskatchewan]] (1926–1929, 1934–1935)<br />MP for [[Melville (electoral district)|Melville]], Saskatchewan (1940–1958)<br />MP for [[Assiniboia (federal electoral district)|Assiniboia]], Saskatchewan (1936–1940)<br />[[Minister of Agriculture (Canada)|Minister of Agriculture]] (1935–1957)

[[James Garfield Gardiner]], 64, called for increased immigration and closer ties to the [[United Kingdom]]. His support was strongest in [[Alberta]], [[British Columbia]], and his home province of [[Saskatchewan]], and he was seen as St. Laurent's primary competition. His convention speech, which went over the allotted 20 minutes, asked for a chance to be the party's "spark plug." King campaigned hard against Gardiner, calling his campaign "ruthless and selfish," and criticized his tactics.<ref name="cpac">{{cite news |title=1948 Liberal Convention |url=https://www.cpac.ca/articles/conventions/1948-liberal |accessdate=March 22, 2024 |newspaper=[[CPAC (TV channel)|CPAC]]}}</ref>

=== Charles Gavan Power ===
[[File:Charles Gavan Power portrait.jpg|150px|thumb|Charles Gavan Power]]
;Background
MP for [[Quebec South]], Quebec (1917–1955)<br />Senator for [[List of Quebec senators#Gulf|Gulf]], Quebec (1955–1968)<br />[[Minister of Pensions and National Health (Canada)|Minister of Pensions and National Health]] (1935–1939)<br />[[Postmaster General of Canada|Postmaster General]] (1939–1940)<br />[[Minister of National Defence for Air (Canada)|Minister of National Defence for Air]] (1940–1944)<br />[[Associate Minister of National Defence (Canada)|Associate Minister of National Defence]] (1940–1944)

[[Charles Gavan Power]], 60, had resigned from cabinet during [[World War II]] amidst the [[Conscription Crisis of 1944]] due to his opposition to [[conscription]]. Power left the Liberals to sit as an "[[Independent Liberal]]," and was elected as such during the [[1945 Canadian federal election|1945 election]]. Following the war, Power rejoined the Liberals. His convention speech called for electoral reform (including placing limits on campaign spending), and called on the party to return to its policy of protecting individual rights.<ref name="cpac" />

=== Louis St. Laurent ===
[[File:Louisstlaurent.jpg|150px|thumb|Louis St. Laurent]]
;Background
MP for [[Quebec East]], Quebec (1942–1958)<br />[[Minister of Justice (Canada)|Minister of Justice and Attorney General]] (1941–1946, 1948)<br />[[Minister of Foreign Affairs (Canada)|Secretary of State for External Affairs]] (1946–1948)

[[Louis St. Laurent]], 66, was King's personal choice, and King campaigned hard for St. Laurent to win. King lobbied hard behind the scenes, reversing his earlier pledge not to vote on the first ballot and convincing various other cabinet ministers (as seen below) to enter the race and withdraw in favour of St. Laurent. St. Laurent's support was seen as strong throughout the country, especially [[Ontario]] and [[Quebec]]. St. Laurent's convention speech told delegates that his government would fight to prevent the spread of [[communism]] abroad, and that the Liberals were the only party capable of bridging the gap between English Canada and French Canada, and respect provincial rights.<ref name="cpac" />

=== Withdrawn candidates ===
{{multiple image
| align        = center
| direction    = horizontal
| footer       = From left to right: Abbott, Chevrier, Claxton, Garson, Howe, and Martin.
| footer_align = center
| image1       = Douglas Charles Abbott.jpg
| width1       = 106
| image2       = Lionel Chevrier.jpg
| width2       = 103
| image3       = Brooke Claxton.jpg
| width3       = 99
| image4       = Stuart Garson.jpg
| width4       = 120
| image5       = C.D. Howe, wartime.jpg
| width5       = 123
| image6       = Paul Martin Sr 1964.jpg
| width6       = 108
}}

King, in his behind the scenes attempt to swing the convention in favour of St. Laurent, convinced the following candidates to run for the leadership but withdraw at the convention to support St. Laurent:<ref name="cpac" />
*[[Douglas Abbott]], MP for [[Saint-Antoine—Westmount]] and [[Minister of Finance (Canada)|Minister of Finance]]
*[[Lionel Chevrier]], MP for [[Stormont (electoral district)|Stormont]] and [[Minister of Transport (Canada)|Minister of Transport]]
*[[Brooke Claxton]], MP for [[St. Lawrence—St. George]] and [[Minister of National Defence (Canada)|Minister of National Defence]]
*[[Stuart Garson]], MLA for [[Fairford (electoral district)|Fairford]] and [[Premier of Manitoba]]
*[[C. D. Howe]], MP for [[Port Arthur (federal electoral district)|Port Arthur]] and [[List of Canadian Ministers of Industry, Trade and Commerce|Minister of Trade and Commerce]]
*[[Paul Martin Sr.]], MP for [[Essex East (electoral district)|Essex East]] and [[Minister of Health (Canada)|Minister of National Health and Welfare]]

There was an attempt to draft [[Premier of Nova Scotia]] [[Angus Lewis Macdonald]] after he gave a rousing speech to the convention but he announced that he would not stand.<ref>{{cite news|title=Five Possible Candidates For Liberal Leadership As Voting Hour Nears|work=The Globe and Mail|date=7 August 1948}}</ref>

==Results==
[[File:1948 Liberal Convention1.jpg|330px|thumb|right|[[Louis St. Laurent]], [[William Lyon Mackenzie King]], and [[James Garfield Gardiner]] at the convention.]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+ First Ballot
|-
! colspan="2" | Candidate
! Delegate Support
! Percentage
|- style="background:lightgreen;"
| [[File:Louis St. Laurent portrait.jpg|50px]]
| '''[[Louis St. Laurent|ST. LAURENT, Louis Stephen]]'''
| '''848'''
| '''69.1%'''
|-
| [[File:James Garfield Gardiner.jpg|50px]]
| [[James G. Gardiner|GARDINER, James Garfield]]
| 323
| 26.3%
|-
| [[File:Charles Gavan Power portrait.jpg|50px]]
| [[Charles Gavan Power|POWER, Charles Gavan]]
| 56
| 4.6%
|-
! colspan="2" | Total
! 1,227
! 100%
|}
{{Bar box|title=First ballot|titlebar=#ddd|width=600px|barwidth=410px|bars={{Bar percent|St. Laurent|{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}|69.11}}
{{Bar percent|Gardiner|{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}|26.32}}
{{Bar percent|Power|{{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal}}|4.56}}}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Liberal Party of Canada}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liberal Party Of Canada Leadership Election, 1948}}
[[Category:Liberal Party of Canada leadership elections|1948]]
[[Category:1948 elections in Canada]]
[[Category:1948 political party leadership elections|Liberal Party of Canada leadership election]]