Prime ministers of the United Provinces of America
editAmerican custom is to count by the individuals who were prime minister, not by terms.[1] Since Confederation, 27 prime ministers have been "called upon" by the governor general to form 29 American Ministries.[1]
Abbreviation key: | No.: Incumbent number, Min.: Ministry, Refs: References |
Colour key: | |
Provinces key: | BC: British Columbia, CA: California, CT: Connecticut, DE: Delaware, IL: Illinois, IN: Indiana, IA: Iowa, KS: Kansas, ME: Maine, MA: Massachusetts, MI: Michigan, MN: Minnesota, NM: New Mexico, NY: New York, ON: Ontario, OR: Oregon, PA: Pennsylvania, QC: Quebec, SK: Saskatchewan |
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Electoral mandates (Assembly) | Political party | Riding | Cabinet | Ref. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Hannibal Hamlin (1809–1891) |
7 October 1861 |
22 September 1877 |
Title created (caretaker government)
|
Conservative | MP for Bangor, ME | 1st | |||
First Prime Minister. Oversaw the admission of Kansas, California, Colorado, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Prince Edward Islands as provinces. Signed the Oklahoma Treaty with Texas and Dixie, Granted a knighthood by Queen Victoria. | ||||||||||
2 (1 of 2) |
James B. Weaver (1833–1912) |
22 September 1877 |
18 July 1882 |
1877 election (5th Parl.) | Liberal | MP for Des Moines, IA | 2nd | |||
First Liberal Prime Minister. Passed the 1879 Rail and Transport act. Oversaw the admission of Nebraska, Dakota, and Nevada as provinces. Refused a Knighthood. | ||||||||||
3 | John A. Macdonald (1815–1891) |
18 July 1882 |
6 June 1891 |
1882 election (6th Parl.)
|
Conservative | MP for Kingston, ON | 3rd | |||
Passed the 1883 Indian Settlement Act. Signed the Treaty of St. Louis. Passed the 1888 Monopolies Act. Oversaw the admission of Cheyenne and Oregon as provinces. Knighted by Queen Victoria. Died in office. | ||||||||||
4 (1 of 2) |
Matt Quay (1833–1904) |
16 June 1891 |
13 March 1893 |
Appointment (8th Parl.) | Conservative | MP for Philadelphia Centre, PA | 4th | |||
Handled the response to the Montreal Riots. Passed the Reed Tariff. Knighted by Queen Victoria. | ||||||||||
2 (2 of 2) |
James B. Weaver (1833–1912) |
13 March 1893 |
23 June 1898 |
1893 election (9th Parl.)
|
Liberal | MP for Des Moines, IA | 5th | |||
Led the Liberals in America's first ever minority government in 1893. Won a majority in the 1894 snap election. Created the Federal Reserve Bank of America. Passed the 1896 Income Tax Act establishing the first income tax in American history. | ||||||||||
4 (2 of 2) |
Matt Quay (1833–1904) |
23 June 1898 |
15 February 1903 |
1898 election (11th Parl.) | Conservative | MP for Philadelphia Centre, PA | 6th | |||
Oversaw the admission of Alberta and Saskatchewan as provinces. Cabinet was embroiled in the Yosemite Scandal causing the resignation of 4 prominent cabinet ministers. Death of Queen Victoria and accession of Edward VII. | ||||||||||
5 | Hiram Johnson (1866–1945) |
15 February 1903 |
5 August 1924 |
1903 election (12th Parl.)
|
Progressive | MP for Sacramento, CA | 7th | |||
Longest serving Prime Minister. Became Prime Minister at the age of 37, the youngest person to ever hold the position. Death of Edward VII and accession of George V. Passed the 1911 Labor Relations Act. Passed the 1921 Indian Citizenship act. Oversaw the admission of New Mexico and Utah as provinces. Passed the 1921 Women's Suffrage Act granting the right to vote to women. Oversaw the United Provinces' involvement in the Panamanian War and the Great War. Only Progressive Prime Minister. | ||||||||||
6 | Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) |
5 August 1924 |
5 January 1933 |
1924 election (17th Parl.)
|
Conservative | MP for Hampshire, MA | 8th | |||
Passed the 1925 Negro Naturalization Act with support form both the Liberals and Progressives. Joined the League of Nations. Signed the Balfour Declaration of 1926 giving the United Provinces equal status with the United Kingdom and other dominions in the British Empire. Statute of Westminster in 1931 gives the United Provinces full legal autonomy from the United Kingdom. Knighted by George V. Died in office. | ||||||||||
7 | Charles Curtis (1860–1936) |
15 January 1933 |
4 September 1933 |
Appointment (18th Parl.) | Conservative | MP for Shawnee-Douglas, KS | 9th | |||
First and only Native American Prime Minister. Was Interim Leader of the Conservative Party until a leadership convention could take place later in the Year. Oversaw the response to the Indianapolis Strike in the Province of Indiana. | ||||||||||
8 | James Eli Watson (1864–1948) |
4 September 1933 |
11 July 1939 |
Appointment (18th Parl.)
|
Conservative | MP for Flatrock-Big Blue River, IN | 10th | |||
Unexpectedly won the 1935 Conservative leadership election. Passed the 1935 pensions act. Was Prime Minister during the first half of the Great Depression. Death of George V accession of Edward VIII. Passed the Succession to the Thorne Act of 1937. Abdication of Edward VIII accession of George VI. Lost his seat in the 1939 election. | ||||||||||
9 | Al Smith (1873–1944) |
11 July 1939 |
4 October 1944 |
1939 election (21st Parl.) | Liberal | MP for Manhattan-Greenwich, NY | 11th | |||
First Catholic Prime Minister. Oversaw the implementation of the New Deal in response to the Great Depression. Passed the 1940 Industry Standards Act. Oversaw the United Provinces' involvement in the Rhineland War. Died in Office. | ||||||||||
10 | William O. Douglas (1898–1980) |
12 October 1944 |
22 May 1948 |
Appointment (21st Parl.)
|
Liberal | MP for Seattle South, BC | 12th | |||
Passed the 1945 Labour Standards Act. Surrender of Germany in the Rhineland War. Signed the Treaty of Brussels. Oversaw the formation of the Council of Federation with the Provincial Premiers. | ||||||||||
11 | Thomas Dewey (1902–1971) |
22 May 1948 |
7 July 1958 |
1948 election (23rd Parl.)
|
Conservative | MP for Manhattan East Centre, NY | 13th | |||
Passed the 1953 Voter Rights Act. Helped in the foundation of the League of Nations Authority Council withe United Provinces becoming a permanent member. Oversaw the intervention in the 2nd Cuban Civil war alongside Dixie. Oversaw the admission of Newfoundland and Alaska as provinces. Death of George VI and accession of Elizabeth II. | ||||||||||
12 | Lester Pearson (1897–1972) |
7 July 1958 |
4 February 1966 |
1958 election (25th Parl.)
|
Liberal | MP for Algoma, ON | 14th | |||
Passed legislation with the Progressives to create AmeriCare the single-payer healthcare system of the United Provinces. Passed the 1962 Education Attainment Act. Oversaw the American response to the Hawaii Crisis. Oversaw the admission of The Bahamas, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico as Provinces. | ||||||||||
13 | Hubert Humphrey (1911–1978) |
4 February 1966 |
15 March 1970 |
Appointment (26th Parl.)
|
Liberal | MP for Minneapolis Midtown, MN | 15th | |||
Passed the 1968-1969 Welfare and Entitlements Acts reforming and expanding welfare programs. Oversaw the response to the Haitian Missile Crisis and help prevent a full scale nuclear exchange with the Soviet Union. Decriminalized Homosexuality and Abortion in 1968. | ||||||||||
14 | George W. Romney (1907–1995) |
15 March 1970 |
12 September 1973 |
Mar. 1970 election (28th Parl.)
|
Conservative | MP for Macomb-Clinton, MI | 16th | |||
oversaw the Creation of the North American Aerospace Defense with Dixie and Texas. Passed the Fair Housing Act of 1970. Implementation of the war powers act in Quebec. Government fell to a no confidence motion following the Kansas City savings Scandal. Romney would be cleared of all wrongdoing in a later investigation by the Udall Government. | ||||||||||
15 | Mo Udall (1922–1998) |
12 September 1973 |
4 October 1981 |
1973 election (30th Parl.)
|
Liberal | MP for Maricopa East, NM | 17th | |||
Passed the 1976 Environmental and Natural Resources Protection Act. Reformed and restructured the Americare health system increasing federal oversight and helping set national health standards. Attended the 1979 American-Soviet conference on nuclear weapons leading to a arms reduction treaty in 1980. Negotiated with province of Quebec allowing for the 1980 Independence referendum to take place, with Quebec voting against independence. Oversaw the American involvement in the Papua War. | ||||||||||
16 | Frank Church (1924–1984) |
4 October 1981 |
31 August 1983 |
Appointment (32nd Parl.) | Liberal | MP for Boise-Caldwell, OR | 18th | |||
Signed the Treaty of Tehran with Iran. Government was implicated in the Civiletti Scandal. Appointed the first female Governor-General. Lost seat in the 1983 Federal Election. | ||||||||||
17 | Sandra Day O'Connor (b. 1930) |
31 August 1983 |
22 February 1986 |
1983 election (33rd Parl.) | Conservative | MP for Scottsdale-Camelback, NM | 19th | |||
First female Prime Minister. Passed the 1984 Sanctions against the Empire of Japan act in response to crackdown on protests in Japanese Korea. Lifted sanctions in 1985 following negotiations with the Japanese Government. Passed the Equal Rights Act of 1985. | ||||||||||
18 | George Bush (1924–2018) |
22 February 1986 |
7 September 1991 |
Appointment (33rd Parl.)
|
Conservative | MP for Fairfield Coast, CT | 20th | |||
Prime Minister during the Collapse of the Soviet Union. Passed the 1986 Immigration and Naturalization Act. Signed the North American Free Trade Union with Texas and Dixie. Oversaw the American intervention in the Mexican Civil War. Attended the 1990 Cologne Conference. Passed the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. | ||||||||||
19 | Jean Chrétien (b. 1934) |
7 September 1991 |
13 October 1999 |
Sep. 1991 election (36th Parl.)
|
Liberal | MP for Saint-Maurice, QC | 21st | |||
First Francophone Prime Minister. Oversaw the Federal response to the 1995 Quebec Crisis. Passed the 1994 Judicial Restructuring Act. Oversaw the admission of Denendeh as a province. Guided the response to the 1997 Spokane Bombing. Official Languages act of 1996 establishes English, Spanish, and French as the official languages of the United Provinces. Passed the Clarity Act of 1998. Cession of Panama Canal to Panama. Fully decriminalized abortion. | ||||||||||
20 | Joe Biden (b. 1942) |
13 October 1999 |
21 August 2003 |
Appointment (37th Parl.)
|
Liberal | MP for Wilmington-New Castle, DE | 22nd | |||
Oversaw the ratification of the Boston Protocols. Guided the Federal response to the HMS Middlesex disaster. Passed the 2000 Election and Campaign Act which reformed campaign finance. Accession of Mexico into the North American Free Trade Union. Appointed the first Black American Governor-General. | ||||||||||
21 | Chris Dodd (b. 1944) |
21 August 2003 |
2 November 2003 |
Appointment (38th Parl.) | Liberal | MP for Windham-Toland, CT | 23rd | |||
Shortest serving Prime Minister. Only served on an interim basis following the resignation of Joe Biden. | ||||||||||
22 | Ralph Goodale (b. 1949) |
2 November 2003 |
13 April 2005 |
Appointment (38th Parl.) | Liberal | MP for Regina, SK | 24th | |||
Attended the 2004 Glasgow Conference on Climate Change. Signed the Glasgow Climate Accord. Blagojevich bribery scandal. Creation of the North American Customs Union. Lost Seat in the 2005 Federal Election, Liberals reduced to third-party status. | ||||||||||
23 | Mitt Romney (b. 1947) |
13 April 2005 |
31 October 2014 |
2005 election (39th Parl.)
|
Conservative | MP for Middlesex West Centre, MA | 25th | |||
Youngest son of the 14th Prime Minister George Romney. Passed the 2005 Entitlement Reform Act. Oversaw the response to the 2005 Erie bombing. Passed the 2006 Civil Marriages Act. Passed the 2007 Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act. Passed the 2008 Federal Stimulus and Asset Relief Act. Oversaw the Imperial Commonwealth Peacekeeping mission in Guyana. Passed the 2012 Carbon Reduction Act. 2013 Succession to the Throne Act. | ||||||||||
24 | Hillary Rodham (b. 1947) |
31 October 2014 |
13 November 2015 |
Appointment (40th Parl.) | Conservative | MP for Highland-Lakeshore, IL | 26th | |||
Was the Deputy Prime Minister, Attorney General, and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Romney ministry. Signed the 2015 Seoul World Financial Agreement. 2014-2015 Zika Virus outbreak. Signed the United Provinces-Dixie-Texas Energy Agreement of 2015. 2015 Recognized Minority Languages Act. . | ||||||||||
25 | Barack Obama (b. 1961) |
13 November 2015 |
29 July 2022 |
2015 election (41st Parl.)
|
Liberal | MP for Chicago Loop-South Side, IL | 27th | |||
First Black American Prime Minister. Passed the 2016 LGBT+ Equal Rights Act. 2016 Fixed Terms Act. Passed the 2017 Tax and Revenue Act. Passed the 2017 Cannabis Legalization Act. United Provinces-Russia agreement. United Provinces-Europe Free Trade Deal. Trans Pacific Partnership. Cancelation of the American-Dixie oil pipeline. Handled the response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Coalition with the Progressives and Greens. 2021 American Dental Care Act. 2021 ban on the sale of Handguns. | ||||||||||
26 | Chrystia Freeland (b. 1968) |
29 July 2022 |
6 February 2023 |
Appointment (42nd Parl.) | Liberal | MP for Toronto-University-Spadina, ON | 28th | |||
Passed the 2022 Child Benefit Act. 2022 Green Energy Act. Death of Elizabeth II accession of Charles III Progressives exit the coalition due to failure to pass the American Prescription Plan. Government loses vote of no confidence in December. | ||||||||||
27 | Alfonso Reyes (b. 1967) |
6 February 2023 |
incumbent | 2023 election (43rd Parl.) | Conservative | MP for Carlsbad-Escondido, CA | 29th | |||
Born in Spain. First Hispanic Prime Minister. Former Governor of the Federal Reserve Bank of America and the Bank of England. Passed the 2023 Affordable Housing Act. Passed the 2023 Zoning Reform Act. Abolished the Long-Gun registry. |
- ^ a b "Prime Ministers of Canada". Library of the Canadian Parliament. Retrieved 2023-02-26.