George Eulas Foster

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Sir George Eulas Foster, KCB, PC (September 3, 1847 – December 30, 1931) was a Canadian politician and academic.

A professor of classics at the University of New Brunswick, Foster entered politics with his election to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1882 federal election as a Conservative MP representing New Brunswick. He immediately joined the Cabinet of Sir John A. Macdonald as Minister of Marine and Fisheries, and was promoted to Minister of Finance in 1888. Foster retained this position after Macdonald's death and through the successive governments of Prime Ministers Abbott, Thompson, Bowell and Tupper.

With the defeat of the Tories in the 1896 election, Foster retained his seat and joined the Opposition. He lost his seat in the 1900 election but returned to parliament in 1904, this time representing the riding of Toronto North in Ontario. He remained an Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) until his party returned to government in the 1911 federal election under Robert Borden.

Foster returned to Cabinet as Minister of Trade and Commerce, and received a knighthood in 1914 for his work in the Royal Commission on Imperial Trade. He served as a Canadian delegate to the 1919 Versailles Peace Conference. From 1920 to 1921, he was chairman of the Canadian delegation to the first assembly of the League of Nations. In 1921, he was appointed to the Canadian Senate in which he served until his death.

He was a prominent supporter of Canada's involvement in the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1901.

[edit] External link

• Political biography from the Library of Parliament

Preceded by Archibald McLelan	Minister of Marine and Fisheries December 10, 1885 – May 28, 1888	Succeeded by Sir Charles Tupper
Preceded by Sir Charles Tupper	Minister of Finance 29 May 1888 – 12 December 1894	Succeeded by Sir Mackenzie Bowell (acting)
Preceded by Sir Mackenzie Bowell (acting)	Minister of Finance 15 January 1896 – 27 April 1896	Succeeded by William Stevens Fielding

Ministers of Finance of Canada
Galt | Rose | Hincks | Tilley | Cartwright | Tilley | McLelan | Tupper | Foster | Fielding | White | Drayton | Fielding | Robb | Bennett | Robb | Dunning | Bennett | Rhodes | Dunning | Ralston | Ilsley | Abbott | Harris | Fleming | Nowlan | Gordon | Sharp | Benson | Turner | Macdonald | Chrétien | Crosbie | MacEachen | Lalonde | Wilson | Mazankowski | Loiselle | Martin | Manley | Goodale | Flaherty