Oldest Member
Drops Out
"The Mace" in
Toronto, Saturday Night -- The Daddy of the House, in the person of
Hon. William Charlton, has dropped out of the running in Norfolk
County, and one more familiar figure passes from the scene.
Mr. Charlton has seen his
80th year and was the senior member of the Commons in point of age,
nearly 40 years older than the youthful prime minister, and leading
the veteran Sir George Foster by a comfortable margin.
Although for a long period a
member of the provincial house (he was first elected to the
legislature in 1890, and was a candidate as far back as 1886) his
membership at Ottawa was for two parliaments. He came in in 1911 as
a staunch supporter of Sir Wilfrid, and for one term gave the old
chief staunch and unwavering allegiance.
Then came conscription: Mr.
Charlton failed to see eye to eye with his leader and favored the
Military Service act. In the election of 1917 Mr. Charlton ran as a
supporter of the Unionist government, and was the victor by over
1,200 majority.
When the war ended, and some
of the Liberal support in the House began to fail the government,
Mr. Charlton remained steadfast in his new-found faith, and despite
his advanced years could be counted upon in early morning divisions.
Not so very long ago, Mr.
Charlton was made a Privy Councillor -- a sort of honorary title
which carried with it a certain amount of dignity and no
responsibility.
His brother, John Charlton,
long since departed this life, represented Norfolk in parliament
continuously from 1872 and 1900, so the Western Ontario riding has
been pretty faithful to the Charton family. And the Charlton
brothers, John and William, were faithful on their part to the
county.
