Electoral history of Lester B. Pearson

This article is the Electoral history of Lester B. Pearson, the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada.

Pearson stood for election to the House of Commons of Canada eight times, all for the riding of Algoma East in northern Ontario.

Pearson ranks twelfth out of twenty-three prime ministers for time in office, serving one term of four years and 364 days.

Before entering politics, Pearson was a career diplomat in the Department of External Affairs, including being the Canadian Ambassador to the United States.

King appointed him Minister of External Affairs and Pearson entered Parliament shortly afterwards by a by-election in the northern Ontario riding of Algoma East.

[2] Pearson served in the government of Louis St. Laurent as Minister of External Affairs from 1948 to 1957.

Pearson was returned to office in the 1965 election, again defeating Diefenbaker, again with a minority government.

Throughout his parliamentary career, he represented the riding of Algoma East in northern Ontario.

[3] In 1968, Pearson announced his retirement and was succeeded as Liberal leader and prime minister by Pierre Trudeau.

After winning the Liberal leadership, Pearson challenged the legitimacy of Diefenbaker's minority government.

The Liberals under Pearson made considerable gains, more than doubling their representation in the Commons.

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

The 1948 by-election was triggered by the appointment of the incumbent Member of Parliament, Thomas Farquhar to the Senate on September 10, 1948.