'Just call me Mitch' : : The Life of Mitchell F. Hepburn / / John Saywell.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Toronto Press eBook-Package Archive 1933-1999
• VerfasserIn: Saywell, John,
• MitwirkendeR: Beck, Jeanne,; Careless, Maurice,; French, Goldwin,; Oliver, Peter,
• Place / Publishing House: Toronto : : University of Toronto Press, , [2019]; ©1991
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Series: Heritage
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (668 p.)
• Other title: Frontmatter --; Contents --; The Ontario Historical Studies Series --; Preface --; 1. 'Into the Promised Land' --; 2. 'Let the rafters ring' --; 3. 'A Joshua who will really do the trick' --; 4. 'Rise dead men and fight' --; 5. 'I swing to the left' --; 6. 'The Tories on the run' --; 7. 'Go out and slay the Assyrians' 139 --; 8. 'The terrible descent from Mowat and Blake' --; 9. 'A struggle against feudalism' --; 10. 'A big black X against his name' --; 11. 'Then send us down to defeat' --; 12. 'A much divided crowd' --; 13. 'If necessary we'll raise an army to do it' --; 14. 'It is the "Fellows" that count' --; 15. 'We are ready for the fight' --; 16. 'Something in the wind' --; 17. 'A famous man of the Empire' --; 18. 'The cloven hoof of the gang' --; 19. 'With blood in my eye' --; 20. 'Somebody else's war' --; 21. 'The Hepburn jitters' --; 22. 'More joy in Heaven' --; 23. 'If only ... ' --; Notes --; Bibliography of Primary Sources --; Picture Credits --; Index
• Format: Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
• ISBN: 9781487575434; 9783110490947
• DOI: 10.3138/9781487575434
• Access: restricted access
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: John Saywell.

Those who describe Ontario political leaders as bland or boring do not remember the days of Mitchell Hepburn. Premier of the province from 1934 to 1942, Hepburn was impetuous, exuberant, charismatic, creative, and, for a time, wildly successful as a politician. In this biography John Saywell presents the larger-than-life figure in all his contradictions. Here is a richly detailed account of the man, his career, and his times. Born in rural southwestern Ontario in 1896, he was first elected as a Liberal in the federal election of 1926. Four years later he was chosen to lead the Liberals in Ontario, and in a stunning victory in 1934, Mitch drove out the tottering Tory government. These were turbulent times in the province's political life. They saw the deepening of the Depression, the rise of the CCF, impassioned debates over prohibition and separate-school funding, and a bitter strike at General Motors in Oshawa. Mitch was at the centre of it all. Although a lifelong Liberal, Hepburn maintained a stubborn independence. He and Mackenzie King were on a collision course from the beginning. Over time relations between them deteriorated into open hostility and eventually all-out war, a war which Hepburn ultimately lost. The struggle between them weakened the Liberal party and took a toll on Hepburn's health. There were other factors at work on his health, of course. The pressures of politics never kept Mitch from enjoying himself. Saywell describes the late-night excursions to Hull during the Ottawa years, the bull sessions with cronies at Toronto's Kind Edward Hotel, and the numerous extramarital episodes that were never kept very secret. In his private life, as in his public, Mitch was often the victim of his own excesses. Replete with anecdotes and insights, both personal and political, 'Just call me Mitch' is the irresistible biography of an irrepressible character.