James Layton Ralston
Ralston, James Layton
James Layton Ralston, lawyer, politician (b at Amherst, NS 27 Sept 1881; d at Montréal 21 May 1948). A WWI battalion commander with a reputation for bravery and competence, Ralston was twice minister of national defence, 1926-30 and 1940-44. Intense, scrupulously honest, and an able representative of the political interests of the Maritime provinces, he was a stalwart in PM Mackenzie KING's WWII Cabinet, serving briefly as minister of finance, 1939-40, before becoming defence minister. Despite a tendency to become mired in administrative detail, he was a fine judge of generalship and a devoted defender of Canada's fighting men. King forced Ralston's resignation in 1944 because of his outspoken support of overseas CONSCRIPTION.
Ralston, James Layton
Minister of National Defence with Canadian troops, December 1940, England (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/PA-132649).
Author NORMAN HILLMER
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