Electoral history of John Diefenbaker

This article is the Electoral history of John Diefenbaker, the thirteenth Prime Minister of Canada.

A Progressive Conservative, he served one term as prime minister (1957–1963), defeating Louis St. Laurent.

He lost the 1963 election to Lester Pearson, who succeeded him as prime minister.

Diefenbaker led the party one last time in the 1965 election, but was again defeated by Pearson.

Diefenbaker sought the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party three times, unsuccessfully in 1942 and 1948, before winning it in 1957.

Diefenbaker ranks tenth out of twenty-three prime ministers for time in office, serving one term of five years and 305 days.

At age 25, he was elected to the village council of Wakaw, Saskatchewan, where he operated his first law practice.

In the 1926 election, his Liberal opponent was the former prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King.

This is the only time two future prime ministers have directly opposed each other in the same riding.

No Conservatives were elected to the Legislative Assembly and the party earned only 12% of the provincial popular vote.

At the subsequent party convention four months after the election, Diefenbaker offered his resignation but it was refused.

He would hold the leadership for eleven years, eventually being forced out at the 1967 convention, after the two losses in the general elections of 1963 and 1965.

He served in the House of Commons for a total of 39 years, 4 months, and 21 days.

Although the Liberals came in first in the popular vote, they came in second in seats in the House of Commons, behind Diefenbaker and the Progressive Conservatives.

St. Laurent resigned and Diefenbaker formed a minority government, ending twenty-three years of Liberal rule.

His government was defeated on a motion of non-confidence in February, 1963, which resulted in the dissolution of Parliament and a general election.

Lester Pearson and the Liberals won the election, but fell five seats short of a majority.

Pearson become prime minister of a minority government, and Diefenbaker became Leader of the Opposition.

Diefenbaker initially continued as leader of the Opposition, but in 1966 he was ousted by a party revolt.

In the 1926 general election, Diefenbaker's opponent in Prince Albert riding was Mackenzie King.

This is the only occasion where two future prime ministers have run directly against each other in the same riding.

Diefenbaker was defeated in his own attempt to win the constituency of Arm River.

In 1920, Diefenbaker was elected to a three-year term on the village council of Wakaw, where he had established his first law practice.

[2] His successful opponent was Harold John Fraser, who thirty years later ran against Diefenbaker in the Prince Albert riding in the 1963 federal election.

Diefenbaker tried twice unsuccessfully to be elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, being defeated in 1942 and 1948, before winning the leadership in 1956.

Just two years after being elected to the House of Commons, Diefenbaker ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party, coming in third in a field of five candidates.

Bracken resigned as party leader in 1948, leading to a second leadership convention in only six years.

Diefenbaker again contested the leadership, this time coming in second, after the winner, George Drew.

Diefenbaker decided to contest the leadership and was a late entrant to the convention.