“Mine Portfolio Goes To Laurier’s Newphew,” Toronto Star. October 8, 1940. Page 03.
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Never Ran For Public Office But Stumped For Sir Wilfrid
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Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s nephew, Robert Laurier, 48, is Ontario’s new minister of mines. In a few short minutes yesterday he changed from a man almost unknown in public life, a man who has never run for political office, into a cabinet minister.
There was no accouncement where a seat in the legislature would be opened for him, but general expectation is he will run in East Ottawa, his home riding, where a seat is vacant through resignation of Paul Leduc, ex-mines minister, to accept the clerkship of the supreme court of Canada.
Mr. Laurier was born in Arthabaska, Que., Sir Wilfrid’s home village, and when his father died in 1906 he went to live with his uncle. He attended Loyola college in Montreal. After two years at McGill he went to Ottawa and was articled into the law firm of Murphy-Fisher-Sherwood. Murphy was Hon. Charles Murphy (one-time secretary of state and post-master general). Fisher was an M.P.
From Ottawa, young Laurier attended Osgoode hall, graduating in 1919. He returned to Ottawa and the law firm of Belcourt, Leduc, and Chevrier. Leduc was Hon. Paul Leduc, Mr. Laurier’s predecessor in the mines portfolio and Chevrier is now Mr. Justice Chrevier.
Mr. Laurier’s political experience was gained travelling with his uncle. His wife is the former Gabrielle Parent, daughter of a former Quebec premier and a sister of Senator George Parent, speaker of the senate and Charles Parent, M.P. He has two sons, Henri, 18, and Carl, 17.
He retired rom law practice in 1927 but during the last four months he has been assistant secretary to Rt. Hon. Ernest Lapointe.
‘There’ll always be a Laurier,’ the cabinet was told after Chief Justice Robertson swore in the new minister yesterday.
