We've come to the Mackenzie Bowell blog, one that I have been eagerly anticipating because he re-tweeted me last week. I'm not even joking.

Screen Shot 2018-06-12 at 12.45.04 PM.png

I think he's just as excited for this as anybody else. I mean, he's the only prime minister of old who has engaged me on Twitter, and I usually like anyone who gives me a shoutout on that voice box.

Anyways, onto Mackenzie Bowell, who was the fifth PM of Canada, serving from December 1894 to April 1896. Overall, he had a long career in parliament, serving for nearly 50 years in total.

But before all of that, Bowell was born on December 27, 1823 in Rickinghailn, England, making him the first PM to not hail from either Canada or Scotland. He immigrated to Canada when he was 12 years old, settling in Belleville, Ontario, which is where he planted some major roots and where he was laid to rest at the Belleville Cemetery. The Bowell family settled there because Mackenzie's dad, John, a cabinet maker, had some family there.

In 1834, little Mackenzie started working as a "printer's devil" for the Intelligencer, a local publication owned and operated by a guy named George Benjamin. This work would prove to be fruitful for Bowell, who eventually became a partner in the business and later the sole owner of the operation in the 1850s. Like Alexander Mackenzie, the second PM, Bowell's rise to politics was facilitated by journalism and newspapers, meaning the two shared a name and a career to some degree.

There is little information on his romantic life but he did marry Harriet Moore in 1847. The couple had nine children - five sons and four daughters - but there are no details as to their pursuits. He was a widower by the time he served as PM.

Upon Canada's confederation in 1867, Bowell was elected to the House of Commons, holding his seat in the Hastings North riding for the next 25 years. It was ultimately his diverse portfolio that elevated him to the highest office in Canada. When John Thompson died suddenly of a heart attack while visiting Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle, Bowell was asked to become prime minister because he was the longest serving cabinet member with the most experience in a wide-range of portfolios - he held a customs portfolio, was the acting minister of railways and canals, minister of militia and defence and later the trade and commerce portfolio. The Earl of Aberdeen, the Governor General, officially asked Bowell to take the prime minister's seat on December 21, 1894, where he sat for just over a year and four months - not a substantial amount of time defining him as a "short-term prime minister".

The issue that Bowell is most notable for during his time as PM is the Manitoba Schools Question. In the Cole's Notes version: Manitoba as a province decided to no longer provide funding for denominational schools - basically separating schools in to Roman Catholic or Protestant. This became a national crisis in Canada at the time and was the biggest issue facing votes in the 1896 election. The issue even caused Bowell to resign, leading Charles Tupper to take over for a short stint as PM. And because I really don't know much about it, I'm going to write about it so eloquently on the next blog.

All in all, Bowell is most known for his career in public service, as he remained in the senate even after his time as prime minister. A 2016 survey by Maclean's ranks Mackenzie Bowell as the eight most effective prime minister out of 10 in the class of Short Term prime ministers - short-term means serving under two years as PM. But right now, Bowell is at the top of my list as cool PMs because he's active and engaging on Twitter. Nicely done, Mackenzie!