It's funny, but I find young Canadians don't know anything about their own Prime Ministers. They may know that John A. McDonald was the founder of Canada but they don't know much about the man.
He had a drinking problem and would sometimes sleep off his drunks when Parliament was in full session but all of his party and even of the opposition party considered him a great guy. He was really concerned about them and would ask after their health.
Strange as it may seem, many in this country don't know but I've met some Americans who do. I don't think that's typical but it does show that he's interesting to others, too.
My all time favorite Canadian Prime Minister is William Lyon McKenzie King. He was a very unusual man who never cut the apron strings and always asked his mother's advice on everything, even after she was dead.
Yes, he had seances to call his beloved mother back to talk to him. His dog attended the seances, too. He was quite attached to Pat, the dog, and also prayed with his dog every night, holding his little paw in his hand.
It is thought that William Lyon McKenzie King never had sex at all. Odd.
I'm sure that other countries have had their fair share of unusual characters in their highest office. I just wanted to write a bit about these two, who never cease to fascinate me. Leave a comment if you like and tell me about your favorite public leader who is a bit odd.
I've written a short story called Nealla's Dream. You can read it at Front Row Lit
http://frontrowlit.com/?p=4267
I don't know if this is about an odd leader of just my poor driving skills, but I once ran over Jerry Brown with my car. It was in the late 70's and Jerry was running for president. I bumped him in a San Francisco intersection and he sprawled across my hood. That was as close to a politician as I ever want to get.
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