Arthur Meighen, St Marys, Ontario

The statue of Canada's ninth Prime Minister was erected in 1987 in Lind Park, St Marys, Ontario. The park was donated to the town in 1934 by John Grieve Lind and is at the north-east corner of Church and Jones Streets. Across the street is the First Baptist Church.

Arthur Meighen in St Marys.

Arthur Meighen's grandfather Gordon came to St Marys in 1843. He had emigrated to Canada from Londonderry, Ireland 4 years earlier. He was the town's first school teacher and bought a farm in nearby Anderson. He taught in St Marys and farmed for 4 years and then taught and farmed in Anderson until he died in 1859.

Gordon Meighen's son Joseph was 13 when his father died and left school to help his mother with the farm. Joseph married Mary Jane Bell and it was at this farm that Arthur Meighen was born in 1874. He was the second of six children.

The family moved to a dairy farm at the edge of St Marys in 1886; the house is at 254 Elgin St West. Soon after Arthur Meighen enrolled in the St Marys Collegiate Institute. In September 1892 he left St Marys to enroll in the honours course in Mathematics at the University of Toronto and graduated in 1896. Each summer he returned to help sell his father's dairy products.

After graduation, Arthur Meighen tried being a storekeeper in nearby Woodham then teaching in Calendonia before leaving for Winnipeg in 1898 where he became a lawyer.

Arthur Meighen's parents remained in St Marys at the house at 254 Elgin St West until 1917 when they moved to 162 Church St South. They moved to Ottawa in 1920.

Statue of Prime Minister Arthur Meighen, St Marys, Ontario


from the commemorative plaque: The Right Honourable Arthur Meighen, P.C., M.P. (B. Anderson, Ont. June 16, 1874 - D. Toronto, Ont. August 5, 1960) Member of Parliament for the constituency of Portage La Prairie (1908-21, 1921-26); Leader of the Conservative Party (1920-21, 1921-26); Prime Minister of Canada (1920-21, 1926); and Senator (1932-41). A parliamentary debater without equal in his day, he served as Solicitor-General, Secretary of State and Minister of the Interior in the government of Prime Minister Robert Borden (1911-20). He was instrumental in the creation of the Canadian National Railways. In 1942 he retired from politics. He is buried in St Marys Cemetery.


The statue of Canada's ninth Prime Minister was erected in 1987 in Lind Park, St Marys, Ontario. The park was donated to the town in 1934 by John Grieve Lind and is at the north-east corner of Church and Jones Streets. Across the street is the First Baptist Church. Arthur Meighen in St Marys. Arthur Meighen's grandfather Gordon came to St Marys in 1843. He had emigrated to Canada from Londonderry, Ireland 4 years earlier. He was the town's first school teacher and bought a farm in nearby Anderson. He taught in St Marys and farmed for 4 years and then taught and farmed in Anderson until he died in 1859. Gordon Meighen's son Joseph was 13 when his father died and left school to help his mother with the farm. Joseph married Mary Jane Bell and it was at this farm that Arthur Meighen was born in 1874. He was the second of six children. The family moved to a dairy farm at the edge of St Marys in 1886; the house is at 254 Elgin St West. Soon after Arthur Meighen enrolled in the St Marys Collegiate Institute. In September 1892 he left St Marys to enroll in the honours course in Mathematics at the University of Toronto and graduated in 1896. Each summer he returned to help sell his father's dairy products. After graduation, Arthur Meighen tried being a storekeeper in nearby Woodham then teaching in Calendonia before leaving for Winnipeg in 1898 where he became a lawyer. Arthur Meighen's parents remained in St Marys at the house at 254 Elgin St West until 1917 when they moved to 162 Church St South. They moved to Ottawa in 1920.
Arthur Meighen Statue \| Biography \| Gravesite \| Public School

Statue of Prime Minister Arthur Meighen, St Marys, Ontario