Canadian Destinations

Ottawa’s Laurier House was home to two prime ministers

By Albert J. Fernando

Photos by Albert J. Fernando

There are few private houses, perhaps anywhere in the world, that have such history as Laurier House in Ottawa.

My interest in this historic residence, which I had the privilege of visiting during a recent trip to the nation’s capital, shot up after I read this fascinating paragraph from publicity material for it.

"Two remarkable prime ministers. One magnificent home. One was a knight who led Canada into the 20th century. The other was a King who consulted the crystal ball and ruled the country longer than anyone else. Both lived and led the country from Laurier House, a historic site of Canada that preserves the personal possessions and portrays the lives and times of these imposing personalities."

Naturally, after reading the above paragraph, I listed this residence as a priority attraction to visit during my five-day trip to Ottawa.

The two political leaders who occupied this house were Sir Wilfrid Laurier, prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911 and William Lyon Mackenzie King, the country’s longest-serving leader. During the 27 years from 1921 to 1948, Mackenzie King was prime minister for 21 years.

Of course, the private residences of political leaders are frequently turned into museums after their death. Years ago, I had the privilege of visiting in New Delhi, India, the residence of Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, who served from 1947 to 1964.

What is different about Laurier House, is that it was a private residence of not one but two prime ministers.

The guided tour

"Hello, Good Morning! Welcome to Laurier House!" was guide Louise Hamelin’s greeting to me as I stepped inside this historic house.

Before the guided tour began, I watched a 15-minute video about the house. I learned that this house was presented to Sir Wilfrid and his wife by a friend, John Leslie, in 1897.

After watching this fact-filled video, I was shown various items on display in that very room. These items included, among other things, a photo of Churchill with some of the cigars that were gifts from the British prime minister, and also a copy of a traffic summons that Lady Zoe Laurier received for speeding in 1910! Next up on the tour was the formal dining room where world leaders such as King George VI, Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Charles De Gaulle were entertained.

On the second floor, there was a room where Sir Wilfrid and Lady Zoe breakfasted, read the morning papers and listened to the news on the radio.

This morning room was also used after breakfast by Lady Zoe who played the piano, kept caged birds, and played cards with her friends here.

Following Laurier’s death in 1919, his widow continued to live in Laurier House. She bequeathed the house, before her death in 1921, to her husband’s close friend and political ally William Lyon Mackenzie King who became the new prime minister that year.

Mackenzie King moves in

It is the possessions of Mackenzie King, more than those of the Lauriers, that are now to be seen at Laurier House. The layout of the house as it is now also reflects King’s tastes.

During the 21 years he was prime minister and six years as leader of the opposition, King conducted most of his official duties from Laurier House. He met officials, diplomats and world leaders in his book-filled study, along with attending to official documents and other political work.

King was very devoted to his late mother and kept a large portrait of her in his study. At night he used to go to a small room and attempt to communicate with dead persons, especially her.

A sign at the house states that King was an adherent of spiritualism, a religious movement that "believed in the possibility of contacting dead friends, relatives or historic figures through a medium or by such practices as table rapping."

King had a great passion for collecting, and a number of rare and valuable items that he acquired during his travels are on display. These include a prayer desk that supposedly belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots and a chair owned by the famous poet Robert Burns.

Pearson memorabilia

Laurier House also contains a large collection of memorabilia of Lester B. Pearson, Canada’s prime minister from 1963 to 1968. Though Pearson never lived at Laurier House, after his death in 1972 his relatives had made available some of his possessions to be displayed there.

The collection includes autographed photos of U.S. presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, De Gaulle, Nehru and others. There is also a collection of newspaper cartoons about Pearson, his 1957 Nobel Peace Prize certificate and the desk he used as prime minister.

Because of its great historic significance, no visitor to Ottawa should miss seeing Laurier House.