William Lyon Mackenzie King Louis St. Laurent In 1948, the Liberal Party of Canada held a leadership election to replace retiring Liberal leader and sitting Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King.

His support was strongest in Alberta, British Columbia, and his home province of Saskatchewan, and he was seen as St. Laurent's primary competition.

[2] MP for Quebec South, Quebec (1917–1955)Senator for Gulf, Quebec (1955–1968)Minister of Pensions and National Health (1935–1939)Postmaster General (1939–1940)Minister of National Defence for Air (1940–1944)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.

[2] MP for Quebec East, Quebec (1942–1958)Minister of Justice and Attorney General (1941–1946, 1948)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.