Robert Cruise
Encyclopedia
For the Marxist-Leninist candidate see Robert Cruise (Ontario politician)
Robert Cruise (December 11, 1868 – June 19, 1932) was a Canadian Member of Parliament
for Dauphin
, Manitoba
.
Born in the Lachute, Quebec
, the son of Peter and Margaret (Mill) Cruise, he was a farmer in Quebec until 1893 when he moved to Manitoba
settling in Dauphin
where he acquired a farm of 160 acre (0.6474976 km²). He later sold this land and purchased 1600 acres (6.5 km²) of land.
Cruise was elected as a Liberal
in the 1911 federal election
, however, as a result of the Conscription Crisis of 1917
he and many other English-Canadian Liberals crossed the floor to support the Union government
formed by Robert Borden
in 1917. The Conscription question split the Liberal party with loyalists to party leader Sir Wilfrid Laurier
styling themselves Laurier Liberals
and supporters of the Borden government calling themselves Liberal Unionists.
Cruise stood for re-election in the 1917 election
and was acclaimed as a Government supporter. He sat in parliament as a Unionist (Conservative and Liberal). He did not return to the Liberal Party following World War I
but ran for re-election in 1921
as a Conservative
(technically, the Tories ran in this election as the National Liberal and Conservative Party
in an unsuccessful attempt to retain the support of Liberals who had defected from the party during the war.) Cruise was soundly defeated by William John Ward
, a candidate for the new Progressive Party of Canada
.
Robert Cruise (December 11, 1868 – June 19, 1932) was a Canadian Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Dauphin
Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette
Dauphin—Swan River—Marquette is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1904...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
.
Born in the Lachute, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, the son of Peter and Margaret (Mill) Cruise, he was a farmer in Quebec until 1893 when he moved to Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
settling in Dauphin
Dauphin, Manitoba
Dauphin is a small city in Manitoba, Canada, with a population of 7,906 as of 2006. The nearby lake was given the name "Dauphin" by the explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye in 1741 in honour of the heir to the French throne...
where he acquired a farm of 160 acre (0.6474976 km²). He later sold this land and purchased 1600 acres (6.5 km²) of land.
Cruise was elected as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the 1911 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1911
The Canadian federal election of 1911 was held on September 21 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Canada.-Summary:...
, however, as a result of the Conscription Crisis of 1917
Conscription Crisis of 1917
The Conscription Crisis of 1917 was a political and military crisis in Canada during World War I.-Background:...
he and many other English-Canadian Liberals crossed the floor to support the Union government
Unionist Party (Canada)
The Unionist Party was formed in 1917 by Members of Parliament in Canada who supported the "Union government" formed by Sir Robert Borden during the First World War....
formed by Robert Borden
Robert Borden
Sir Robert Laird Borden, PC, GCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Canada from October 10, 1911 to July 10, 1920, and was the third Nova Scotian to hold this office...
in 1917. The Conscription question split the Liberal party with loyalists to party leader Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
styling themselves Laurier Liberals
Laurier Liberals
Prior to the 1917 federal election in Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada split into two factions:* the Laurier Liberals, who opposed conscription of soldiers to support Canada's involvement in World War I and who were led by former Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier; and* the Liberal Unionists who...
and supporters of the Borden government calling themselves Liberal Unionists.
Cruise stood for re-election in the 1917 election
Canadian federal election, 1917
The 1917 Canadian federal election was held on December 17, 1917, to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Canada. Described by historian Michael Bliss as the "most bitter election in Canadian history", it was fought mainly over the issue of conscription...
and was acclaimed as a Government supporter. He sat in parliament as a Unionist (Conservative and Liberal). He did not return to the Liberal Party following World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
but ran for re-election in 1921
Canadian federal election, 1921
The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Canada. The Union government that had governed Canada through the First World War was defeated, and replaced by a Liberal government under the young leader...
as a Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
(technically, the Tories ran in this election as the National Liberal and Conservative Party
National Liberal and Conservative Party
The National Liberal and Conservative Party was the name adopted by the Conservative Party of Canada in 1920 after the end of the Unionist government of Robert Borden....
in an unsuccessful attempt to retain the support of Liberals who had defected from the party during the war.) Cruise was soundly defeated by William John Ward
William John Ward
William John Ward was a Canadian farmer, politician, insurance agent, and real estate agent from Dauphin, Manitoba. A member of the Ginger Group, he joined the Progressives in 1921, was a Liberal Progressive from 1926 - 1935, a Liberal from 1935 to 1957, and an Independent Liberal from 1957 to his...
, a candidate for the new Progressive Party of Canada
Progressive Party of Canada
The Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces and, in Manitoba, ran candidates and formed governments as the Progressive Party of Manitoba...
.