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Tanya Zenobio, Contributor

Remembering a favoured Prime Minister and closeted spiritualist


William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada's Tenth Primeminister

 

Despite seeing the Canadian public through two World Wars, the once noble name of William Lyon Mackenzie King is beginning to carry a new connotation. On this, the anniversary of his retirement from a long, eventful career, The Watson delves into the lesser-known side of Canada's most famous Prime Minister.

Born in 1874 in Kitchener, Mackenzie King would go on to have an exceptional and historically punctuated career. This, of course, is well-known to any student of history. What is often left unsaid is Mackenzie King's spiritualist habits. Despite a deceptive facade, King spent many of his political years dabbling with seances and other spiritualist acts. Attempts to contact his mother from beyond the grave were often mentioned throughout the politician's diaries. Seances were a frequent occurrence throughout King's life, and he was even said to have visited a favoured medium Rachel Bleaney in Kingston while on a campaign. All this, of course, acts as nothing short of a stark reminder to cover our bases as historians. Skip out of social history, and you might be missing out on the weird and wonderful aspects of your favourite historical figures.

Don't believe me? Why not delve into the social history yourself? Mackenzie King's diaries are available for viewing through Library and Archives Canada.

Check out his diaries here:

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/politics-government/prime-ministers/william-lyon-mackenzie-king/Pages/diaries-william-lyon-mackenzie-king.aspx


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