Profile
James Ralston
Politician + Lawyer + Soldier
Male
Born
Sep 27, 1881
Hometown
Amherst, Nova Scotia
Died
May 21, 1948
Political Party
Liberal Party of ...
James Layton Ralston, PC was a Canadian lawyer, soldier and politician. Born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Ralston graduated from law school at Dalhousie University in 1903 and practised law in Amherst. Ralston was the federal Liberal candidate for Cumberland… Read More
News + Updates
Browse recent news and stories about James Ralston.
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Faith Calendar Victoria AdvocateGoogle News - Jun 24, 2011
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Nipomo, Lompoc Schools Lead All Lpl Team Santa Maria TimesGoogle News - Jun 02, 2011
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Heritage Open Days Announces Packed Programme For 2011 Culture24Google News - May 17, 2011
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Prep Roundup: Nipomo Downs Cabrillo, Earns Share Of Lpl Baseball Title San Luis Obispo TribuneGoogle News - May 14, 2011
Timeline
Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of James Ralston.
CHILDHOOD
1881
Birth
Born on September 27, 1881.
TWENTIES
1903
21 Years Old
Born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, Ralston graduated from law school at Dalhousie University in 1903 and practised law in Amherst.
1908
26 Years Old
Ralston was the federal Liberal candidate for Cumberland in the 1908 federal election but was unsuccessful in being elected.
1911
29 Years Old
He subsequently entered public life when he ran as the provincial Liberal candidate for Cumberland North and was elected in the 1911 provincial election.
THIRTIES
1916
34 Years Old
He was re-elected in 1916.
1918
36 Years Old
Ralston served in World War I as an officer in the 85th Canadian Infantry Battalion (Nova Scotia Highlanders), rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1918 and was decorated for bravery.
FORTIES
1924
42 Years Old
He was promoted to commanding officer of the Nova Scotia Highlanders and pursued a career as a professional soldier in Canada's post-war army, rising to the rank of Colonel in 1924.
Ralston left the military and entered federal politics once again when he was unsuccessful as the Liberal candidate for Halifax in the 1926 federal election, held September 14.
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1930
48 Years Old
Ralston served as Minister of National Defence until the defeat of King's government in the 1930 federal election but was re-elected and remained the MP for Shelburne-Yarmouth through the 17th Parliament, serving in His Majesty's Loyal Opposition.
FIFTIES
1935
53 Years Old
The riding of Shelburne-Yarmouth was consolidated into the new riding of Shelburne—Yarmouth—Clare in 1935 and Ralston opted to not run again, returning to the legal profession, despite the Liberal party regaining power.
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1939
57 Years Old
Ralston re-entered active public service and he was subsequently appointed as Minister of Finance on September 6, 1939, replacing Charles Dunning who was in ill-health.
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Ralston was subsequently elected by acclamation on January 2, 1940 and entered the 18th Parliament.
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LATE ADULTHOOD
1942
60 Years Old
Ralston supported conscription for overseas service during World War II, and in 1942 offered to resign when Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's government would not introduce it.
1944
62 Years Old
The resignation issue was dropped, but after visiting Canadian troops in Europe in 1944, he argued again that conscription was necessary, and a schism developed in King's cabinet (see Conscription Crisis of 1944). King forced him to resign, replacing him with Andrew McNaughton on November 1, 1944.
1948
67 Years Old
Ralston left politics the following year and died in Montreal in 1948.
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Original Authors of this text are noted on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ralston.
Text is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.
Text is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.