Talk:Mackenzie Bowell

Rt. Hon. ?
I am wondering, why did Bowell not have the title "The Right Honourable"? -- Michael Drew 01:49, 30 August 2005 (UTC)
 * Please see the reply below. -- Blairall (talk) 19:39, 8 July 2015 (UTC)

Why some Canadian PMs are not styled Right Honourable
I also was wondering why some Canadian PMs (Mackenzie, Abbott, and Bowell) were not entitled to the style Right Honourable, so I wrote to the Library of Parliament, and here is the answer I received. Fawcett5 20:20, 12 May 2005 (UTC)

Sir:

We acknowledge receipt of your email dated May 11, 2005 sent to the Information Service of the Library of Parliament.

The Information Service provides information of a general nature on the history, role, and activities of the Senate, House of Commons and the Library of Parliament.

In response to your request, three Canadian Prime Ministers, Alexander Mackenzie, Sir John Abbott and Sir Mackenzie Bowell, did not bear the title Right Honourable.

There is a very restricted group of individuals who carry the title of Right Honourable in Canada. This group consist of the country's leading public figures, such as the prime minister, the chief justice and the governor general, current or former as well as distinguished Canadians who have been honoured for their outstanding and invaluable contribution to national life in Canada. The style of Honourable in Canada is accorded to several categories of federal and provincial officials by the Sovereign under the Table of Titles, either during office or for life. This and other honorific titles arise from the exercise of the royal prerogative to grant honours, and can be changed by the Sovereign at will.

Members of the Canadian Privy Council, consisting for the most part of present and former Canadian cabinet ministers, have since 1867 only been entitled to the designation Honourable. Down to 1968, this included the prime minister of Canada, who usually but not always was sworn into the British Privy Council and by fact, became Right Honourable. The above-named prime ministers were never summoned to the British Privy Council, so they remained simply Honourable, as Canadian Privy Councillors. Sir Alexander Mackenzie refused the offer of knighthood; our records do not indicate the reasons why Messrs. Abbott and Bowell were not summoned to the British Privy Council.

On March 4th, 1968, the Privy Council of Canada recommended and Queen Elizabeth II approved with her initials, that the Table of Titles for Canada should contain by right the designation Right Honourable for the prime minister of Canada for life (as also for the chief justice).

By the same token, from 1867 to 1952 every Canadian governor general was a member of the British Royal family or nobility, entitled to the style Right Honourable. In 1968, Prime Minister Pearson wrote to the Queen requesting that the Table of Titles for Canada be amended so that the governor general be designated as Right Honourable from the moment of assuming office and for life.

Furthermore, please note that information on Canada's Parliament is available on the Parliamentary Internet site at the following address: www.parl.gc.ca

Should you require additional information regarding the Parliament of Canada, please do not hesitate to contact the Information Service of the Library of Parliament.

Sincerely,

C.G. Information Service / Service de renseignements Library of Parliament / Bibliothèque du Parlement


 * Very nice. Would you happen to know Bowell's middle name? Albrecht 19:03, 19 April 2006 (UTC)

I agree. He is properly styled as "The Honourable" and not as "The Right Honourable". This is confirmed on his official Parliament of Canada biography page. -- Blairall (talk) 19:21, 8 July 2015 (UTC)

Born in 1823 or 1824?
I've seen numerous sources, including the Canadian Archives, list Bowell's year of birth as 1823, not 1824. The seeming authouritive biography from DCB, which says "1824" also says this within its text: "At his 90th birthday in 1913 he was still going to his office at the newspaper, still inordinately vain, proud, for example, at people not guessing his age."

I did a quick check at the Mormon genealogy site and while a lot of contributors list his date as "1823," there was no parish record to confirm this date.

And now a check of the 1901 census, which finds Bowell in Hastings, has his birthdate listed as "27 Dec 1823."

http://automatedgenealogy.com/census/ImageArray.jsp?id=54472

I therefore am changing his year of birth to 1823.

Canada Jack 17:49, 18 October 2006 (UTC)


 * I've been in touch with the editors at DCB on this issue and I've been informed that because there is no parish birth/christening record but there is a marriage record for his parents March 1824, they opt for the 1824 date as most probable.


 * This is the current line from DCB: "No archival record of Bowell's birth has been found. The date has generally been given as 27 Dec. 1823; however, the parish registers held by the Suffolk County Council record a marriage in Rickinghall between John Bowell and Elizabeth Marshall, possibly Bowell's parents, on 19 March 1824, which may indicate a birth date of 27 Dec. 1824."


 * Should we revert to 1824 or go with what Bowell himself stated?


 * Canada Jack 15:20, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I should also add here that nowhere did I see a source list the date AND year as December 27 1824. It seems that the assumption was that the Dec 27 date was correct, but the year was wrong.

Canada Jack 18:24, 30 October 2006 (UTC)

Appointing jurists
While I am sure my recent edit will not be accepted by either G2bambino or Lonewolf BC, can the both of you please discuss that section on the talk page, rather than constantly reverting each other? Adam Bishop 22:26, 6 June 2007 (UTC)