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Laurier House
Laurier House was the home Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Prime Minister of Canada from 1896-1911. It became the home of his protégé William Lyon MacKenzie King who was Prime Minister of Canada from 1921 to 1926, from 1926 to 1930, and from 1935 to 1948. Its collection of memorabilia evokes the political life of Canada over more than half a century. When Laurier was elected in 1896, there was no official residence provided for the Prime Minister. The Liberal Party purchased the home for their newly-elected leader. Lady Laurier willed the house to William Lyon Mackenzie King who had succeeded Laurier as leader of the Liberal Party.
Several rooms contain Sir Wilfrid Laurier's mementos and furnishings, harkening back to the turn of the century when Canada was growing with new provinces and waves of immigrants. Laurier's faith in his country is reflected in his famous words "The twentieth century belongs to Canada". The majority of the house is restored to the King era and is filled with collections of memorabilia and gifts from around the world. His third floor study is particularly evocative of the man who governed through the boom of the twenties, the bust of the thirties and the challenges of World War II. Mackenzie King received many important guests at Laurier House including Churchill, Roosevelt, DeGaulle, Shirley Temple and the Dionne quintuplets. Churchill even left behind some of his famous cigars. King's study contains a crystal ball he received as a gift. Visitors often assume that he used the ball to seek the help of spirits in decision-making, but King's spritialism was conducted through mediums, and not with the help of a crystal ball.
Laurier House is now a National Historic Site of Canada and is open to the public.
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Referenced By
24 Sussex Drive | Laurier | Sandy Hill (Ottawa) | Sir Wilfred Laurier | Wilfrid Laurier
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