Hughes, Sir Samuel

Hughes, Sir Samuel, 1853–1921, Canadian political leader, b. Ontario. A schoolteacher and newspaper editor, he entered the House of Commons in 1892 and held a seat until his death. As minister of militia and defense (1911–16) in Sir Robert Borden's government, he was responsible for organizing and dispatching the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I. To this task he brought great energy, but his outspoken criticism of those with whom he did not agree forced Borden to request his resignation in 1916. Hughes was knighted in 1915.

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