Item 16741 - Mulock, Col. William Pate obituary

Event Date : Wednesday, August 25, 1954
Event Type : Death

Description : Col. William Pate Mulock, grandson of Sir William Mulock and Postmaster-General for six years, and owner of the Newmarket Era and Express newspaper, died Wednesday at his home near Newmarket following a heart attack. He was 57. Ill-health forced him to leave politics in April, 1945, after representing North York as Liberal since 1943. He was in charge of Canada's mails during the Second World War and directed the special operations needed to speed mail to troops overseas. He made his first attempt to enter Federal politics at North York in 1930, but was defeated by the late T. Herbert Lennox. Four years later, however, he contested the seat in the by-election caused by Col. Lennox's death and piled up a majority of 3,678 - the largest in the history of the riding. He retained the seat in the 1935 and 1940 general elections. When he entered Mackenzie King's cabinet at the age of 43 he was the youngest minister. To some extent his political career ran parallel to that of his grandfather, who was Postmaster-General from 1896 to 1905. His maiden speech in the Commons drew wide attention and was heard by Sir William Mulock, probably the first time a grandfather was present when his grandson took the seat originally held by himself. Born into one of North York's best-known families, the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Mulock, he was educated at Upper Canada College, the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall. He served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Siberia, read law with Mulock, Milliken, Clark and Redman, and was called to the bar in 1920. He became a King's Counsel the same year he added M.P. to his name - 1934. During his administration, Canada's present air mail system was developed. When he was not at Ottawa, Col. Mulock divided his time between his law practice and his farm between Newmarket and Aurora. He had been in ill health for some months before his death and was confined to his home. Col. Mulock leaves his wife and two sons, William and Thomas.