Hugh Guthrie

PC KC
Leader of the Opposition
In office 1926–1927
Preceded by	W. L. Mackenzie King
Succeeded by	R. B. Bennett
Personal details
Born	(1866-08-13)August 13, 1866 Conservative (1921-1939)
Profession	Lawyer

Hugh Guthrie
Shield		Quarterly first and fourth Or a lion rampant grasping in the dexter paw a maple leaf Gules second and third Azure a garb Or banded Gules all within a bordure counterchanged of the field and charged with three cats' faces alternating with three cross crosslets fitchée all counterchanged of the bordure.
Motto	STO PRO JUSTITIA [1]

Hugh Guthrie, PC, KC (13 August 1866 – 3 November 1939) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a minister in the governments of Sir Robert Borden, Arthur Meighen and R. B. Bennett.

Biography

He was born in

in 1902. He married Maude Henrietta, the daughter of Guelph businessman Thomas H. Scarff.

Guthrie was first elected to the

. After the election, he joined the Conservatives on the Opposition benches.

As a result of the 1926 "

of the Conservative Party for a full year.

Guthie sought the party leadership at the

was a delegate to that convention and he wrote in his memoirs that Guthrie's candidacy was hurt when the former Liberal absent-mindedly declared in his speech to delegates that the Conservative meeting was the "greatest Liberal convention in history".

Bennett led the Conservatives to victory in the

prisons

such as the whipping of prisoners.

As the Great Depression worsened and millions were unemployed, the government became increasingly concerned about political instability and the growth of radical movements. Guthrie's department was responsible for the persecution of the Communist Party of Canada, and the arrest and incarceration of Communists, including leader Tim Buck, for sedition.

In 1933,Tim Buck was shot at by soldiers in an apparent assassination attempt while he was in his cell during a prison riot. Guthrie was forced to admit that the attack was deliberate, but claimed the intent was only to frighten him; however, the public outcry at this incident lead to Buck being released.

In 1935, unemployed workers in

". Thousands of unemployed workers hopped on freight trains heading east intending to converge in Ottawa and press their demands on the government. Bennett's cabinet saw this as an insurrectionary movement and panicked. In the House of Commons, Guthrie charged that the protesters "were a distinct menace to the peace, order and good government of Canada."

As the protesters entered

. The city was but under siege with hundreds of police officers moved in blocking all exits from the city. On July 1, 1935, the police attacked a meeting attended by 3,000 people resulting in one death, dozens of injuries and national outrage.

Guthrie, now 69, did not run in the 1935 election that routed Bennett's government, preferring to retire from politics. He died four years later.

Electoral record (Wellington South)

v t e 1900 Canadian federal election: Wellington South
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Hugh Guthrie	2,755	51.0	2.4
	Conservative	Christian Kloepfer	2,649	49.0	-2.4
Total valid votes			5,404	100.0

v t e 1904 Canadian federal election: Wellington South
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Hugh Guthrie	3,694	52.7	1.7
	Conservative	Christian Kloepfer	3,315	47.3	-1.7
Total valid votes			7,009	100.0

v t e 1908 Canadian federal election: Wellington South
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Hugh Guthrie	3,873	55.0	2.3
	Conservative	John Newstead	3,172	45.0	-2.3
Total valid votes			7,045	100.0

v t e 1911 Canadian federal election: Wellington South
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Hugh Guthrie	3,368	55.1	0.1
	Conservative	Arthur Thomas Kelly Evans	2,744	44.9	-0.1
Total valid votes			6,112	100.0

v t e 1917 Canadian federal election: Wellington South
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Government (Unionist)	Hugh Guthrie	7,358	77.5
	Labour	Lorne Cunningham	2,139	22.5
Total valid votes			9,497	100.0

v t e 1921 Canadian federal election: Wellington South
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hugh Guthrie	6,208	36.6	-40.9
	Labour	James Singer	6,077	35.9	13.4
	Liberal	Samuel Carter	4,662	27.5	27.5
Total valid votes			16,947	100.0

v t e 1925 Canadian federal election: Wellington South
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hugh Guthrie	9,096	52.9	16.3
	Liberal	Robert Gladstone	8,088	47.1	11.1
Total valid votes			17,184	100.0

v t e 1926 Canadian federal election: Wellington South
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hugh Guthrie	8,515	53.3	0.4
	Liberal	William A. Burnett	7,471	46.7	-0.4
Total valid votes			15,986	100.0

v t e 1930 Canadian federal election: Wellington South
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hugh Guthrie	8,887	53.0	-0.3
	Liberal	John Burr Mitchell	7,893	47.0	0.3
Total valid votes			16,780	100.0

By-election: On Mr. Guthrie being appointed Minister of Justice, 25 August 1930: Wellington South

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Hugh Guthrie	acclaimed

References

• Canadian Parliamentary Guide (1934), AL Normandin

External links

• Hugh Guthrie – Parliament of Canada biography

Parliament of Canada
Preceded by Christian Kloepfer	Member of Parliament from Wellington South 1900–1935	Succeeded by Robert William Gladstone
Political offices
Preceded by Arthur Meighen (acting)	Solicitor General of Canada 1917–1921	Succeeded by Guillaume-André Fauteux
Preceded by James Alexander Calder	Minister of Militia and Defence 1920-1921	Succeeded by George Perry Graham
Preceded by Edward Mortimer Macdonald	Minister of National Defence 1926	Succeeded by James Robb (politician)
Preceded by Ernest Lapointe	Minister of Justice 1926	Succeeded by Esioff-Léon Patenaude
Preceded by Arthur Meighen	Leader of the Opposition 1926–1927	Succeeded by R. B. Bennett
Preceded by Ernest Lapointe	Minister of Justice 1930-1935	Succeeded by George Reginald Geary
Party political offices
Preceded by Arthur Meighen	Leader of the Conservative Party 1926–1927 Interim	Succeeded by R. B. Bennett