List of premiers of Prince Edward Island

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.

Premier of Prince Edward Island
Coat of Arms of Prince Edward Island
Incumbent Dennis King since May 9, 2019
Government of Prince Edward Island Office of the Premier
Style	The Honourable
Member of	Executive Council
Reports to	Legislative Assembly
Seat	Charlottetown
Appointer	Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Formation	1873
Salary	$68,721 plus $74,634 (indemnity and allowances)[1]

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 Queen 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 is the first Premier of a minority government in PEI since 1890.[7]

List of Premiers of Prince Edward Island

  Prince Edward Island Conservative/Progressive Conservative Party   Prince Edward Island Liberal Party

Premier (party)			Period	Assemblies	Elections
Colony of Prince Edward Island (1851–1873)
	1st	George Coles (Liberal) (1st time of 3) (1810-1875)	April 24, 1851 April 1, 1854	...	Designated April 24, 1851
	2nd	John Holl (Conservative) (1802-1869)	April 1, 1854 June 1, 1855	19th 20th ...	Elected April 1, 1854 Re-elected 1854
	—	George Coles (Liberal) (2nd time of 3)	June 1, 1855 September 1, 1859	...	Designated June 1, 1855
	3rd	Edward Palmer (Conservative) (1809-1889)	September 1, 1859 April 1, 1863	21st	Elected September 1, 1859
	4th	John Hamilton Gray (Conservative) (1811-1887)	April 1, 1863 June 1, 1865	22nd ...	Elected April 1, 1863
	5th	James Colledge Pope (Conservative) (1st time of 2) (1826-1885)	June 1, 1865 August 1, 1867	...	Designated June 1, 1865
	—	George Coles (Liberal) (3rd time of 3)	August 1, 1867 February 1, 1869	23rd 24th ...	Elected August 1, 1867 Re-elected 1867
	6th	Joseph Hensley (Liberal) (1824-1894)	February 1, 1869 July 1, 1869	... ...	Designated February 1, 1869
	7th	Robert Poore Haythorne (Liberal) (1st time of 2) (1815-1891)	July 1, 1869 August 1, 1870	... ...	Designated July 1, 1869
	—	James Colledge Pope (Conservative) (2nd time of 2)	August 1, 1870 April 1, 1872	... 25th ...	Designated August 1, 1870 Elected 1871 to a coalition
	—	Robert Poore Haythorne (Liberal) (2nd time of 2)	April 1, 1872 April 1, 1873	...	Designated April 1, 1872 to a coalition
Province of Prince Edward Island (1873–present)
	1st	James Colledge Pope (Conservative)	April 1, 1873 September 1, 1873	26th ...	Elected April 1, 1873
	2nd	Lemuel Cambridge Owen (Conservative) (1822-1912)	September 1, 1873 August 1, 1876	...	Designated September 1873
	3rd	Louis Henry Davies (Liberal) (1845-1924)	August 1, 1876 April 25, 1879	27th	Elected August 10, 1876 to a coalition
	4th	William Wilfred Sullivan (Conservative) (1839-1920)	April 25, 1879 November 1, 1889	28th 29th 30th ...	Elected April 2, 1879 Re-elected May 8, 1882 Re-elected June 30, 1886
	5th	Neil McLeod (Conservative) (1842-1915)	November 1, 1889 April 27, 1891	... 31st ...	Designated November 1889 Elected January 30, 1890 to a coalition
	6th	Frederick Peters (Liberal) (1851-1919)	April 27, 1891 October 1, 1897	... 32nd	Designated April 27, 1891 to a coalition Elected December 13, 1893
	7th	Alexander B. Warburton (Liberal) (1852-1929)	October 1, 1897 August 1, 1898	33rd ...	Elected July 28, 1897
	8th	Donald Farquharson (Liberal) (1834-1903)	August 1, 1898 December 29, 1901	... 34th ...	Designated August 1898 Elected December 12, 1900
	9th	Arthur Peters (Liberal) (1854-1908)	December 29, 1901 January 29, 1908	... 35th ...	Designated December 29, 1901 Elected December 7, 1904 Died January 29, 1908
	10th	Francis Longworth Haszard (Liberal) (1849-1938)	February 1, 1908 May 16, 1911	... 36th ...	Designated February 1, 1908 Elected November 18, 1908
	11th	H. James Palmer[8] (Liberal) (1851-1939)	May 16, 1911 December 2, 1911	... ...	Designated May 16, 1911
	12th	John A. Mathieson (Conservative) (1863-1947)	December 2, 1911 June 21, 1917	... 37th 38th ...	Designated December 2, 1911 Elected January 3, 1912 Re-elected September 16, 1915
	13th	Aubin E. Arsenault (Conservative) (1870-1968)	June 21, 1917 September 9, 1919	...	Designated June 21, 1917
	14th	John Howatt Bell (Liberal) (1846-1929)	September 9, 1919 September 5, 1923	39th	Elected July 24, 1919
	15th	James D. Stewart (Conservative) (1st time of 2) (1874-1933)	September 5, 1923 August 21, 1927	40th	Elected July 26, 1923
	16th	Albert C. Saunders (Liberal) (1874-1943)	August 21, 1927 May 20, 1930	41st ...	Elected June 25, 1927
	17th	Walter Lea (Liberal) (1st time of 2) (1874-1936)	May 20, 1930 August 29, 1931	...	Designated May 20, 1930
	—	James D. Stewart (Conservative) (2nd time of 2)	August 29, 1931 October 10, 1933	42nd ...	Elected August 6, 1931
	18th	William J. P. MacMillan (Conservative) (1881-1957)	October 14, 1933 August 15, 1935	...	Designated October 10, 1933
	—	Walter Lea (Liberal) (2nd time of 2)	August 15, 1935 January 10, 1936	43rd ...	Elected July 23, 1935 Died in office January 10, 1936
	19th	Thane A. Campbell[9] (Liberal) (1895-1978)	January 14, 1936 May 11, 1943	... 44th	Designated January 14, 1936 Elected May 18, 1939
	20th	J. Walter Jones (Liberal) (1878-1954)	May 11, 1943 May 25, 1953	45th 46th 47th ...	Elected September 15, 1943 Re-elected December 11, 1947 Re-elected April 26, 1951
	21st	Alex W. Matheson[10] (Liberal) (1903-1976)	May 25, 1953 September 16, 1959	... 48th	Designated May 25, 1953 Elected May 25, 1955
	22nd	Walter R. Shaw (Progressive Conservative) (1887-1981)	September 16, 1959 July 28, 1966	49th 50th	Elected September 1, 1959 Re-elected December 10, 1962
	23rd	Alexander B. Campbell[11] (Liberal) (b. 1933)	July 28, 1966 September 18, 1978	51st 52nd 53rd 54th	Elected May 30, 1966 Re-elected May 11, 1970 Re-elected April 29, 1974 Re-elected April 24, 1978
	24th	Bennett Campbell[12] (Liberal) (1943-2008)	September 18, 1978 (Interim until December 9) May 3, 1979	...	Designated September 18, 1978
	25th	Angus MacLean[13] (Progressive Conservative) (1914-2000)	May 3, 1979 November 17, 1981	55th ...	Elected April 23, 1979
	26th	James Lee (Progressive Conservative) (b. 1937)	November 17, 1981 May 2, 1986	... 56th	Designated November 17, 1981 Elected September 27, 1982
	27th	Joe Ghiz[14] (Liberal) (1945-1996)	May 2, 1986 January 25, 1993	57th 58th	Elected April 21, 1986 Re-elected May 29, 1989
	28th	Catherine Callbeck (Liberal) (b. 1939)	January 25, 1993 October 9, 1996	59th	Designated January 25, 1993 Elected March 29, 1993
	29th	Keith Milligan (Liberal) (b. 1950)	October 9, 1996 November 27, 1996	... ...	Designated October 9, 1996
	30th	Pat Binns (Progressive Conservative) (b. 1948)	November 27, 1996 June 12, 2007	60th 61st 62nd	Elected November 18, 1996 Re-elected April 17, 2000 Re-elected September 29, 2003
	31st	Robert Ghiz (Liberal) (b. 1974)	June 12, 2007 February 23, 2015[15]	63rd 64th	Elected May 28, 2007 Re-elected October 3, 2011
	32nd	Wade MacLauchlan (Liberal) (b. 1954)	February 23, 2015[15] May 9, 2019[7]	65th	Designated February 23, 2015 Elected May 4, 2015
	33rd	Dennis King (Progressive Conservative) (b. 1971)	May 9, 2019[7]	66th	Elected April 23, 2019

Living former premiers

As of May 2019, seven former premiers are alive, the oldest being Alex Campbell (1966–1978, born 1933). The most recent former premier to die was Bennett Campbell (1978–1979), on September 11, 2008. The most recently serving premier to die was Joe Ghiz (1986–1993), on November 9, 1996.

Name	Term	Date of birth
Alex Campbell	1966–1978	December 1, 1933
James Lee	1981–1986	March 26, 1937
Catherine Callbeck	1993–1996	July 25, 1939
Keith Milligan	1996	February 8, 1950
Pat Binns	1996–2007	October 8, 1948
Robert Ghiz	2007–2015	January 21, 1974
Wade MacLauchlan	2015–2019	December 10, 1954

See also

• Leader of the Opposition (Prince Edward Island)

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. http://www.assembly.pe.ca/photos/original/leg_f15indem15.pdf
2. "A History of the Vote in Canada". Elections Canada. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
3. "Government Institutions". The Canadian Encyclopedia. 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. Yarr, Kevin (May 9, 2019). "Compton takes Finance, Aylward Health in new P.E.I. cabinet". CBC News. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
8. "H. James Palmer". Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
9. "Thane A. Campbell". Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
10. "Alex W. Matheson". Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
11. "Alexander B. Campbell". Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
12. "Bennett Campbell". Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
13. "Angus MacLean". Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
14. "Joe Ghiz". Government of Prince Edward Island. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
15. "Experienced faces make up Wade MacLauchlan cabinet". CBC News. February 23, 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2015.

External links

• Prince Edward Island: Premier's Office