List of premiers of Prince Edward Island

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Premier of Prince Edward Island
Incumbent
Dennis King
since May 9, 2019
Government of Prince Edward Island
Office of the Premier
StyleThe Honourable
Member of
Reports toLegislative Assembly
SeatCharlottetown
AppointerLieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island
Term lengthAt His Majesty's pleasure
Formation1873
Salary$68,721 plus $74,634 (indemnity and allowances)[1]

The premier of Prince Edward Island is the first minister for the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island. They are the province's head of government and de facto chief executive.

Prince Edward Island was a British crown colony before it joined Canadian Confederation in 1873. It has had a system of responsible government since 1851, and the province kept its own legislature to deal with provincial matters after joining Confederation.[2] Prince Edward Island has a unicameral Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which the premier is the leader of the party that controls the most seats in the Legislative Assembly.[3] The premier is Prince Edward Island's head of government, and the king of Canada is its head of state and is represented by the lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island.[4] The premier picks a cabinet from the elected members to form the Executive Council of Prince Edward Island, and presides over that body.[5]

Members are first elected to the legislature during general elections. General elections must be conducted every five years from the date of the last election, but the premier may ask for early dissolution of the Legislative Assembly. An election may also take place if the governing party loses the confidence of the legislature by the defeat of a supply bill or tabling of a confidence motion.[6]

Prince Edward Island has had 45 government leaders since it became a colony in 1851. The province had 7 premiers while a colony and 33 premiers after joining Confederation, of which 16 were from the Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative Party and 23 were from the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party. The current premier is Dennis King, since May 9, 2019. King was the first premier of a minority government in PEI since 1890.[7] King's party gained seats in two by-elections in 2020 and 2021, giving him a majority government.

List of premiers of Prince Edward Island

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Electoral mandates (Assembly) Political party Riding


Premiers of the Colony of Prince Edward Island

1
(1 of 3)
George Coles
(1810–1875)
24 April
1851
1854 Title created (18th Leg.)⁠

1853 election (19th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1851)
MHA for 1st Queens
2
John Holl
(1802–1869)
1854 1855 Appointment (19th Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1854)
Councillor for colony-at-large

(2 of 3)
George Coles
(1810–1875)
1855 1859 1854 election (20th Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1851)
MHA for 1st Queens
3
Edward Palmer
(1809–1889)
1859 2 March
1863
1859 election (21st Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1855)
MHA for 5th Queens
(Councillor after 1860)
4
John Hamilton Gray
(1811–1887)
2 March
1863
7 January
1865
1863 election (22nd Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1863)
MHA for 4th Queens
5
(1 of 3)
J. C. Pope
(1826–1885)
7 January
1865
14 March
1867
Appointment (22nd Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1865)
MHA for 3rd Prince

(3 of 3)
George Coles
(1810–1875)
14 March
1867
c. late 1868 1867 election (23rd Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1851)
MHA for 1st Queens
6
Joseph Hensley
(1824–1894)
c. late 1868 July
1869
Appointment (23rd Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1869)
MHA for 1st Kings
7
(1 of 2)
R. P. Haythorne
(1815–1891)
1869 10 September
1870
Appointment (23rd Leg.)⁠

1870 election (24th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1869)
Councillor for 2nd Queens

(2 of 3)
J. C. Pope
(1826–1885)
10 September
1870
1872 Appointment (24th Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1865)
MHA for 4th Prince

(2 of 2)
R. P. Haythorne
(1815–1891)
1872 April
1873
1872 election (25th Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1869)
Councillor for 2nd Queens

(3 of 3)
J. C. Pope
(1826–1885)
April
1873
1 July
1873
1873 election (26th Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1865)
MHA for 5th Queens

Premiers of the Province of Prince Edward Island

1
J. C. Pope
(1826–1885)
1 July
1873
September
1873
Title created (26th Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1865)
MHA for 5th Queens
2
L. C. Owen
(1822–1912)
September
1873
August
1876
Appointment (26th Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1873)
MHA for 3rd Kings
3
Louis Henry Davies
(1845–1924)
August
1876
25 April
1879
1876 election (27th Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1876)
MHA for 5th Queens
4
William Wilfred Sullivan
(1839–1920)
25 April
1879
1 November
1889
1879 election (28th Leg.)⁠

1882 election (29th Leg.)⁠


1886 election (30th Leg.)

Conservative
(Ldr. 1877)
MHA for 2nd Kings
5
Neil McLeod
(1842–1915)
1 November
1889
27 April
1891
Appointment (30th Leg.)⁠

1890 election (31st Leg.)

Conservative
(Ldr. 1889)
MHA for 5th Queens
6
Frederick Peters
(1851–1919)
27 April
1891
1 October
1897
Appointment (31st Leg.)⁠

1893 election (32nd Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1891)
MHA for 3rd Queens (Assemblyman after 1893)
7
Alexander B. Warburton
(1852–1929)
1 October
1897
1 August
1898
1897 election (33rd Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1897)
Councillor for 1st Queens
8
Donald Farquharson
(1834–1903)
1 August
1898
29 December
1901
Appointment (33rd Leg.)⁠

1900 election (34th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1898)
Councillor for 2nd Queens
9
Arthur Peters
(1854–1908)
29 December
1901
29 January
1908
Appointment (34th Leg.)⁠

1904 election (35th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1901)
Assemblyman for 2nd Kings
10
Francis Haszard
(1849–1938)
1 February
1908
16 May
1911
Appointment (35th Leg.)⁠

1908 election (36th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1908)
Councillor for 4th Queens
11
H. James Palmer
(1851–1939)
16 May
1911
2 December
1911
Appointment (36th Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1911)
Assemblyman for 3rd Queens
12
John A. Mathieson
(1863–1947)
2 December
1911
21 June
1917
Appointment (36th Leg.)⁠

1912 election (37th Leg.)⁠


1915 election (38th Leg.)

Conservative
(Ldr. 1903)
Councillor for 5th Kings
13
Aubin-Edmond Arsenault
(1870–1968)
21 June
1917
9 September
1919
Appointment (38th Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1917)
Assemblyman for 3rd Prince
14
John Howatt Bell
(1846–1929)
9 September
1919
5 September
1923
1919 election (39th Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1915)
Assemblyman for 4th Prince
15
(1 of 2)
James D. Stewart
(1874–1933)
5 September
1923
12 August
1927
1923 election (40th Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1921)
Councillor for 5th Kings
16
Albert C. Saunders
(1874–1943)
12 August
1927
20 May
1930
1927 election (41st Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1923)
Assemblyman for 1st Prince
17
(1 of 2)
Walter M. Lea
(1874–1936)
20 May
1930
29 August
1931
Appointment (41st Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1930)
Councillor for 4th Prince

(2 of 2)
James D. Stewart
(1874–1933)
29 August
1931
10 October
1933
1931 election (42nd Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1921)
Councillor for 5th Kings
18
William J. P. MacMillan
(1881–1957)
14 October
1933
15 August
1935
Appointment (42nd Leg.) Conservative
(Ldr. 1933)
Councillor for 5th Queens

(2 of 2)
Walter M. Lea
(1874–1936)
15 August
1935
10 January
1936
1935 election (43rd Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1930)
Councillor for 4th Prince
19
Thane A. Campbell
(1895–1978)
14 January
1936
11 May
1943
Appointment (43rd Leg.)⁠

1939 election (44th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1936)
Councillor for 1st Prince
20
J. Walter Jones
(1878–1954)
11 May
1943
25 May
1953
Appointment (44th Leg.)⁠

1943 election (45th Leg.)⁠


1947 election (46th Leg.)⁠


1951 election (47th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1943)
Councillor for 4th Queens
21
Alexander W. Matheson
(1903–1976)
25 May
1953
16 September
1959
Appointment (47th Leg.)⁠

1955 election (48th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1953)
Councillor for 4th Kings
22
Walter R. Shaw
(1887–1981)
16 September
1959
28 July
1966
1959 election (49th Leg.)⁠

1962 election (50th Leg.)

Progressive Conservative
(Ldr. 1957)
Councillor for 1st Queens
23
Alexander B. Campbell
(b. 1933)
28 July
1966
18 September
1978
1966 election (51st Leg.)⁠

1970 election (52nd Leg.)⁠


1974 election (53rd Leg.)⁠


1978 election (54th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1965)
Councillor for 5th Prince
24
W. Bennett Campbell
(1943–2008)
18 September
1978
3 May
1979
Appointment (54th Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1978)
Assemblyman for 3rd Kings
25
J. Angus MacLean
(1914–2000)
3 May
1979
17 November
1981
1979 election (55th Leg.) Progressive Conservative
(Ldr. 1976)
Assemblyman for 4th Queens
26
Jim Lee
(1937–2023)
17 November
1981
2 May
1986
Appointment (55th Leg.)⁠

1982 election (56th Leg.)

Progressive Conservative
(Ldr. 1981)
Assemblyman for 5th Queens
27
Joe Ghiz
(1945–1996)
2 May
1986
25 January
1993
1986 election (57th Leg.)⁠

1989 election (58th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1981)
Assemblyman for 6th Queens
28
Catherine Callbeck
(b. 1939)
25 January
1993
10 October
1996
Appointment (58th Leg.)⁠

1993 election (59th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 1993)
Councillor for 1st Queens
29
Keith Milligan
(b. 1950)
10 October
1996
27 November
1996
Appointment (59th Leg.) Liberal
(Ldr. 1996)
Assemblyman for 2nd Prince
30
Pat Binns
(b. 1948)
27 November
1996
13 June
2007
1996 election (60th Leg.)⁠

2000 election (61st Leg.)⁠


2003 election (62nd Leg.)

Progressive Conservative
(Ldr. 1996)
MLA for Murray River-Gaspereaux
31
Robert Ghiz
(b. 1974)
13 June
2007
23 February
2015
2007 election (63rd Leg.)⁠

2011 election (64th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 2003)
MLA for Charlottetown-Brighton
32
Wade H. MacLauchlan
(b. 1954)
23 February
2015
9 May
2019
Appointment (64th Leg.)⁠

2015 election (65th Leg.)

Liberal
(Ldr. 2015)
MLA for York-Oyster Bed [8]
33
Dennis King
(b. 1971)
9 May
2019
incumbent 2019 election (66th Leg.)⁠

2023 election (67th Leg.)

Progressive Conservative
(Ldr. 2019)
MLA for Brackley-Hunter River [7]


See also

References

General
  • "Historical Election Dates". Elections Prince Edward Island. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  • "Premiers Gallery". Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved November 7, 2008.
Specific
  1. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 29, 2016. Retrieved December 16, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "A History of the Vote in Canada". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  3. ^ Ruff, Norman J. (October 30, 2020). "Provincial Government in Canada". The Canadian Encyclopedia. updated by Andrew McIntosh. Historica Canada. Archived from the original on November 21, 2009. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  4. ^ "The Office of Lieutenant Governor". Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  5. ^ "Executive Council". Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  6. ^ "Guide to Provincial General Elections". Elections Prince Edward Island. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  7. ^ a b Yarr, Kevin (May 9, 2019). "Compton takes Finance, Aylward Health in new P.E.I. cabinet". CBC News. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
  8. ^ "Experienced faces make up Wade MacLauchlan cabinet". CBC News. February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.

External links