John A. Macdonald
Who was John A. Macdonald?
Scottish-born politician who became Canada's first Prime Minister in 1867 and was instrumental in Canadian Confederation.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on John A. Macdonald (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Sir John Alexander Macdonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on January 10 or 11, 1815, and moved to Kingston in Upper Canada with his family when he was a child. He studied at Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute before becoming a lawyer. Macdonald took on several high-profile cases that boosted his reputation in Kingston. His success in law led him into politics, and he was elected to the legislature of the Province of Canada in 1844.
Macdonald's political career lasted nearly 50 years and was defined by his knack for building alliances and handling tricky political situations. By 1857, he had become premier of the Province of Canada, even though the political system was notoriously unstable. When partisan gridlock made governing impossible in 1864, Macdonald showed his practical side by agreeing with his political rival George Brown to form a Great Coalition focused on federation and political reform. This move was key to the success of Canadian Confederation.
As a main driver of Canadian Confederation, Macdonald had a significant role in the meetings and talks that led to the British North America Act and the creation of Canada on July 1, 1867. He became Canada's first Prime Minister and served for a total of 19 years, making him the second-longest serving Prime Minister in Canadian history, after William Lyon Mackenzie King. His first term as Prime Minister saw major territorial expansion, bringing in the North-Western Territory, Rupert's Land, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island, turning Canada into a transcontinental nation.
Macdonald's time in office wasn't without controversy. In 1873, he had to resign due to the Pacific Scandal, where his Conservative Party took bribes from businessmen wanting the contract to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. He bounced back in 1878 and continued to influence Canadian policy until he died. During his second stint in office, he implemented the National Policy to promote Canadian industry with protective tariffs and completed the Canadian Pacific Railway, uniting the nation coast to coast. Macdonald died in Ottawa on June 6, 1891, while still Prime Minister. He was married twice, first to Isabella Macdonald and later to Agnes Macdonald, who became the 1st Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe. For his role in Canadian confederation and government, he was knighted and awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, and was named a Person of National Historic Significance.
Before Fame
Macdonald's early years were influenced by his family's move from Scotland to Upper Canada when he was a child. They settled in Kingston, and he grew up during a time of significant political and social changes in British North America. The early 19th century was a period of tensions between French and English-speaking populations, ongoing border disputes with the United States, and the gradual development of more self-governing colonies under British rule.
He started gaining prominence through his legal education and practice in Kingston, quickly making a name for himself as a skilled lawyer handling notable cases. The political scene then was marked by instability and frequent changes in government, offering chances for ambitious individuals like Macdonald to rise rapidly in the ranks. His natural political instincts and talent for building relationships across party lines made him well-suited for the coalition-building that became crucial for achieving Confederation.
Key Achievements
- Served as Canada's first Prime Minister and architect of Canadian Confederation
- Guided the creation and passage of the Constitution Act, 1867
- Established the North-West Mounted Police to maintain order in western territories
- Implemented the National Policy protective tariff system
- Oversaw the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, uniting Canada from coast to coast
Did You Know?
- 01.Macdonald was known for his wit and reportedly once said he would rather have John A. Macdonald drunk than George Brown sober, referring to himself in the third person
- 02.He survived an assassination attempt in 1868 when a would-be assassin fired a pistol at him but missed
- 03.Macdonald was instrumental in choosing Ottawa as Canada's capital, despite it being considered a backwoods lumber town at the time
- 04.He established the North-West Mounted Police in 1873, which later became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- 05.Macdonald's approval of Louis Riel's execution in 1885 created lasting political divisions between English and French Canadians that affected the Conservative Party for decades
Family & Personal Life
Awards & Honors
| Award | Year | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath | — | — |
| Person of National Historic Significance | — | — |