James Ralston
James Layton Ralston (September 27, 1881 - May 21, 1948) was the Canadian Minister of National Defence from 1940 to 1944.
Born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, in World War I Ralston commanded a batallion and was awarded for bravery. He was Minister of National Defence from 1926 to 1930, and was reappointed in that position in 1940 after serving as Minister of Finance from 1939 to 1940.
He supported conscription during World War II, and in 1942 offered to resign when Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's government would not introduce it. The resignation issue was dropped, but after visiting Canadian troops in Europe in 1944, he argued again that conscription was necessary, and a schism developed in King's cabinet (see Conscription Crisis of 1944). King still had Ralston's letter of resignation from 1942 and forced him to resign, replacing him with Andrew McNaughton.
Ralston died in Montreal in 1948.
Referenced By
1881 in Canada | 1948 in Canada | Andrew McNaughton | Conscription Crisis of 1944 | Famous Canadians | List of Canadian Ministers of Finance | List of Canadian Ministers of National Defence | List of Canadian Ministers of Pensions and National Health | List of Canadians | List of World War II personalities | List of World War II personas | List of famous Canadian people | List of famous Canadians | List of people associated with World War II
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