R. B. Bennett

The Right Honourable The Viscount Bennett PC KC
Bennett c. 1930–1935
11th Prime Minister of Canada
In office August 7, 1930 – October 23, 1935
Monarch	George V
Governors General	The Viscount Willingdon The Earl of Bessborough
Preceded by	W.L. Mackenzie King
Succeeded by	W.L. Mackenzie King
Leader of the Opposition
In office October 23, 1935 – July 6, 1938
Preceded by	W.L. Mackenzie King
Succeeded by	Robert Manion
In office October 12, 1927 – August 7, 1930
Preceded by	Hugh Guthrie
Succeeded by	W.L. Mackenzie King
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office October 12, 1927 – July 7, 1938
Preceded by	Hugh Guthrie (interim)
Succeeded by	Robert Manion
Minister of Finance
In office August 7, 1930 – February 2, 1932
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Charles Avery Dunning
Succeeded by	Edgar Nelson Rhodes
In office July 13, 1926 – September 25, 1926
Prime Minister	Arthur Meighen
Preceded by	Henry Lumley Drayton (acting)
Succeeded by	James Robb
Minister of Justice
In office October 4, 1921 – December 28, 1921
Prime Minister	Arthur Meighen
Preceded by	Charles Doherty
Succeeded by	Lomer Gouin
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office June 12, 1941 – June 26, 1947 Hereditary Peerage
Preceded by	Peerage created
Succeeded by	None
Member of Parliament for Calgary West
In office October 29, 1925 – January 28, 1939
Preceded by	Joseph Tweed Shaw
Succeeded by	Douglas Cunnington
Member of Parliament for Calgary
In office September 21, 1911 – December 16, 1917
Preceded by	Maitland Stewart McCarthy
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Calgary
In office March 22, 1909 – 1911
Succeeded by	Thomas Tweedie
Leader of the Alberta Conservative Party
In office 1909–1910
Preceded by	Albert Robertson
Succeeded by	Edward Michener
In office 1905–1905
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Albert Robertson
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories for West Calgary
In office November 4, 1898 – 1905
Preceded by	Oswald Critchley
Succeeded by	District abolished
Personal details
Born	Richard Bedford Bennett (1870-07-03)July 3, 1870 Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick, Canada
Died	June 26, 1947(1947-06-26) (aged 76) Mickleham, Surrey, England
Resting place	St. Michael's Churchyard, Mickleham
Citizenship	Canada United Kingdom
Political party	Conservative
Education	Dalhousie University (LL.B., 1893)
Profession	Lawyer
Signature
R. B. Bennett's voice R. B Bennett giving his farewell speech to Britain following the 1930 Imperial Conference

Richard Bedford Bennett, 1st Viscount Bennett PC KC (July 3, 1870 – June 26, 1947) was a Canadian lawyer, businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 11th prime minister of Canada from 1930 to 1935.

Bennett was born in Hopewell Hill, New Brunswick, and grew up nearby in Hopewell Cape. He studied law at Dalhousie University, graduating in 1893, and in 1897 moved to Calgary to establish a law firm in partnership with James Lougheed. Bennett became very rich due to the law practice, various investments, and taking on leadership roles in multiple organizations; he was one of the wealthiest Canadians during his time. On the political side, Bennett served in the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories from 1898 until 1905, when he briefly held the post as the inaugural leader of the Alberta Conservative Party. He later served in the Alberta Legislature from 1909 to 1911, resigning upon his election to the House of Commons. Bennett declined to run for reelection in 1917, but briefly served as minister of justice under Arthur Meighen in 1921. He returned to the Commons in 1925, and served briefly as minister of finance in Meighen's second government in 1926. Meighen resigned the Conservative Party's leadership after his defeat in the 1926 election, with Bennett elected as his replacement in 1927. Thus, Bennett became leader of the Opposition.

Bennett became prime minister after the 1930 election, where the Conservatives won a majority government over William Lyon Mackenzie King's Liberal Party. Bennett's premiership was marked primarily by the Great Depression. He and his party initially tried to combat the crisis with laissez-faire policies, but these were largely ineffective. He was also unsuccessful in establishing an imperial preference free trade agreement. Over time, Bennett's government became increasingly interventionist, attempting to replicate the popular "New Deal" enacted by Franklin Roosevelt in the United States. This about-face prompted a split within Conservative ranks, and was regarded by the general public as evidence of incompetence. Still, he left lasting legacies in the form of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and the Bank of Canada.

Bennett suffered a landslide defeat in the 1935 election, with King returning to power. Bennett remained leader of the Conservative Party until 1938, when he retired to England. He was created Viscount Bennett, the only Canadian prime minister to be honoured with elevation to the peerage. Bennett is ranked as a below-average prime minister among historians and the public.