He was born in Owen Sound, Ontario,[1] the son of William H. Price. He taught school for several years, then studied at Osgoode Hall and the University of Toronto.[2] He was called to the Ontario bar in 1904 and went on to practice as a barrister and solicitor.[3] In 1910, he married Alice Gentles. They had three sons; his middle son, Captain John Gentles Price, of the 1st Battalion Queen's Own Rifles, was killed in action on September 8, 1944, in France during World War II.[4]
During World War I, while still serving as an MLA, he also served as a Lieutenant-Colonel for the 204th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry from 1916 until March 1917, after which he was posted to the British army.[1]
After being re-elected in the 1934 Ontario general election, he remained one of the few Conservative cabinet members to remain in the Legislature, as the Liberals won the most seats and formed a majority government.[9] Even though he was presumed to be the leading contender to become the Conservative party's leader, Price announced in May 1936 that he would not seek re-election and would retire at the end of the legislative session.[10] His decision came about two-weeks before the Conservatives were to pick a new leader, and turned it into a wide-open contest.[10]
