THE ONTARIO HISTORICAL STUDIES SERIES The Ontario Historical Studies Series is a comprehensive history of Ontario from 1791 to the present, which will include several biographies of fonner premiers, numerous volumes on the economic, social, political, and cultural development of the province, and a general history incorporating the insights and conclusions of the other works in the series. The purpose of the series is to enable general readers and scholars to understand better the distinctive features of Ontario as one of the principal regions within Canada. The Biographies of the Premiers J.M.S. Careless (ed.), THE PRE-CONFEDERATION PREMIERS A. Margaret Evans, SIR OLIVER MOWAT (Premier, 1872-1896) Robert J.D. Page, SIR GEORGE W. ROSS (Premier, 1899-1905) Charles M. Humphries, SIR JAMES P. WHITNEY (Premier, 1905-1914) Charles M. Johnston, HON. E.C. DRURY (Premier, 1919-1923) Peter N. Oliver, HON. G. HOWARD FERGUSON (Premier, 1923-1930) John T. Saywell, HON. MITCHELL F. HEPBURN (Premier, 1934-1942) J.L. Granatstein, HON. GEORGE A. DREW (Premier, 1943-1948) Roger Graham, HON. LESLIE M. FROST (Premier, 1949-1961) A.K. McDougall, HON. JOHN P. ROBARTS (Premier, 1961-1971) PETER OLIVER G. Howard Ferguson: Ontario Tory Published by University of Toronto Press Toronto and Buffalo for The Ontario Historical Studies Series © Her Majesty the Queen in right of the Province of Ontario 1977 Printed in Canada Reprinted in 2018 Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Oliver, Peter N., 1939- G. Howard Ferguson (Ontario historical studies series ISSN 0380-9 I 88) Bibliography: p. Includes index. ISBN 0-8020-3346-6 ISBN 978-1-4875-8103-9 (paper) I. Ferguson, George Howard, 1870-1946. 2. Ontario - Politics and government - 1923-1943.* 3. Prime ministers - Ontario - Biography. I. Title. II. Series. FC3074. l .F47045 97 J .3'03'0924 C77-00J 173-X Fl058.F47045 This book has been published during the Sesquicentennial year of the University of Toronto For Heather .