Arthur Peters
Premier from 1901 to 1908

Peters was a lawyer, and as premier used the training to help argue for better representation in the House of Commons. He also managed to get an increase in the annual subsidy England sent to the province. Arthur's older brother, Frederick, also served as premier from 1891 to 1897

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Francis Longworth Haszard
Premier from 1908 to 1911

Haszard, a lawyer, eventually left the premier's office to move to the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island. With only a slim majority in the house, his government was extremely cautious with new legislation.

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H. James Palmer
Premier for 1911

Palmer was a second-generation premier, following in the footsteps of his father, Edward. He held the post for seven months, losing the job after his party lost two byelections.

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John Alexander Mathieson
Premier from 1911 to 1917

Mathieson ran on a platform that called on the federal government to honour the commitments it made when the province joined confederation. One of the most important in the eyes of the Mathieson government was improved ferry service, and an end to winter isolation in the province. In 1915, plans for new ice-breaking ferries were announced, giving the province the uninterrupted connection to the mainland that was part of the Confederation agreement. The SS Prince Edward Island began operating year round from Borden, P.E.I., to Cape Tormentine, N.B., in 1917.

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Aubin-Edmond Arsenault
Premier from 1917 to 1919

Arsenault was the first Acadian to head a provincial government in Canada – one of many political firsts for Prince Edward Island. He also repealed the legislation that restricted travel by automobiles on Island roads. Arsenault also began the Island's tourism sector when he created the Prince Edward Travel Bureau.

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John Howatt Bell
Premier from 1919 to 1923

Bell became the first premier to be defeated by taxes. His Liberal government adopted a highway improvement policy, and put an unpopular tax in place to help pay for the improvements.

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James David Stewart
Premier from 1923 to 1927 1931 to 1933

James Stewart has the distinction of being the first party leader to become premier for a second time since the Island became a province. He worked tirelessly for more funding from the federal government and had just secured a better federal subsidy when he died in October 1933.

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Albert Charles Saunders
Premier from 1927 to 1930

While Canada was captivated by a young Liberal named Pierre Trudeau, Islanders were watching their own energetic Liberal … Alex Campbell. At 33, he became one of the youngest Canadians ever to be elected premier of a province. Campbell helped strengthen the ties Islanders have to their history, offering incentives for homeowners and homebuilders, and concentrating on land use issues. He also established the P.E.I. Heritage Foundation, which

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Walter Maxfield Lea
Premier from 1930 to 1931, 1935 to 1936

Lea broke the pattern of lawyers and business people running the province. He was the first farmer to become premier of the province. He was defeated in 1931, and set to rebuilding the Liberal party, something he did brilliantly. In 1935, the Liberals won all 30 seats in the legislature. It became the first sitting government in the history of the Commonwealth to face no opposition party.

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Dr. William J.P. Macmillan
Premier from 1933 to 1935

The next time you check a book out of the library think of premier Macmillan. He was the premier who secured the Carnegie Foundation endowment that established the provincial library system that still serves the province.

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Thane A. Campbell
Premier from 1936 to 1943

Campbell's government established a provincial police system, and created Prince Edward Island National Park in the Cavendish and Dalvay areas. He also became the first former premier to see the Island's top job passed to his son. As the Chief Justice of Prince Edward Island, Thane Campbell swore his son Alex B. into the job in 1966.

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