"William Lyon Mackenzie King had a long political career. He was leader of the Liberal Party for 29 eventful years through the buoyant expansion of the 1920s, the depression of the 1930s, the shock of World War II, and then the post-war reconstruction, and for 21 of these years he was Canada’s prime minister. His decisions during this time contributed significantly to the shaping of Canada and to its development as an influential middle power in world affairs. During his lifetime his achievements were sometimes obscured by a style notable for its compromises. After his death his political career was sometimes overshadowed by the revelation of his unsuspected personal idiosyncrasies."

James Horace King was born on January 18, 1873, in Chipman (Queens Co., New Brunswick) to George Gerald and Esther King (nee Briggs). He attended McGill University and earned a medical degree in 1895. He practiced in New Brunswick until 1898, when he moved to the Kootenays (British Columbia). In 1907, he married Nellie Mae Sadler (1876-1949). And, in 1951, King married Flora May Johnson (1881-1967).
In 1903, James Horace King was elected as a member of the Liberal party in British Columbia and served in the Legislative Assembly for Cranbrook riding. In 1916 he won a provincial seat, becoming a representative of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. In 1922, King joined the federal government with Prime Minister Hon. William Lyon Mackenzie King as the Minister of Public Works (1922-1926), later becoming acting Minister of Labour (1925-1926), Minister of Soldiers’ Civil Re-establishment (1926-1928), Minister of Health (1926-1928), and Minister of Pensions and National Health (1928-1930). In 1942, King became Minister without Portfolio (1942-1945) and Senator until his death on July 14, 1955.