William Price

Background

He was born in Owen Sound, Ontario, the son of William H. Price.

Education

He taught school for several years, then studied at Osgoode Hall and the University of Toronto.

Career

He served as Treasurer and Attorney General in the governments of Howard Ferguson and George Stewart Henry. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1904 and went on to practice as a barrister and solicitor. During World War I, while still serving as an Modern Language Association, he also served as a Lieutenant-Colonel for the 204th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry from 1916 until the end of the war.

Price was elected in the 1914 provincial election in the Toronto riding of Parkdale.

In 1916 he took a leave of absence to join the army to fight in World War I.

He was appointed as Treasurer from 1923 to 1926. He was re-elected again in 1926, and was appointed as the Attorney General of Ontario from 1926 to 1934.

Even though he was presumed to be the leading contender to become the Conservative party"s leader, Price announced in May 1936 that he would not seek re-election and would retire at the end of the legislative session. His decision came about two-weeks before the Conservatives were to pick a new leader, and turned it into a wide-open contest.

Cabinet posts.

Achievements

• He easily won re-election in the 1919 Ontario general election, even though he spent the previous few years in Europe and not in the legislature. After being re-elected in the 1934 Ontario general election, he remained one of the few Conservative cabinet members to remain in the Legislature, as the Liberals won the most seats and formed a majority government.

Politics

He won re-election, again in the 1923 election that saw United Farmers of Ontario government fall to his party"s Conservatives.

Personality

He was a Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1914 to 1937 who represented the Toronto riding of Parkdale.