Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 15:05, 24 October 2010

The Right Honourable Sir John A. Macdonald GCB KCMG PC PC (Can)
1st Prime Minister of Canada
In office 1 July 1867 – 5 November 1873
Monarch	Victoria
Succeeded by	Alexander Mackenzie
In office 17 October 1878 – 6 June 1891
Monarch	Victoria
Preceded by	Alexander Mackenzie
Succeeded by	John Abbott
Personal details
Born	(1815-01-11)11 January 1815 Glasgow, Scotland
Died	6 June 1891(1891-06-06) (aged 76) Ottawa, Ontario
Political party	Liberal-Conservative
Spouse(s)	Isabella Clark (1st wife) Agnes Bernard (2nd wife)
Children	John Alexander (died in infancy) and Hugh John by Isabella; Mary by Agnes.
Alma mater	none (articled with a lawyer in Kingston)
Occupation	Politician, statesman
Profession	Lawyer
Signature

Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC (Can), (11 January 1815–6 June 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada and the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation. Macdonald's tenure in office spanned 18 years, making him the second longest serving Prime Minister of Canada. He is the only Canadian Prime Minister to win six majority governments. He was the major proponent of a national railway, the Canadian Pacific Railway, completed in 1885, linking Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. He won praise for having helped forge a nation of sprawling geographic size, with two diverse European colonial origins, numerous Aboriginal nations, and a multiplicity of cultural backgrounds and political views.

Early years (1815–1830)

John Alexander Macdonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland on 11 January 1815. His father was Hugh Macdonald, an unsuccessful merchant, who had married Helen Shaw, on 21 October 1811. John Alexander Macdonald was the third of five children. After the failure of Hugh Macdonald's business ventures, the family emigrated to Kingston, the capital of Upper Canada (today the southern and eastern portions of Ontario) in 1820, where there were already a number of Macdonald relatives and connections.

The family initially lived with Donald Macpherson and his family, but then lived over a store which Hugh Macdonald ran. Soon after their arrival, John's younger brother James died from a blow to the head by a servant who was supposed to look after the boys. After Hugh's venture failed, the family moved to Hay Bay, west of Kingston, where Hugh unsuccessfully ran another store. John Macdonald's mother, Mary, became a lifelong influence on her son John, helping him in his difficult first marriage and remaining a force in his life until her 1862 death.

John initially attended local schools; at age ten, his family scraped together the money to send him to Midland District Grammar School in Kingston. Macdonald's formal schooling ended at 15, which was a common school-leaving age when only the most prosperous were able to attend university. Nevertheless, Macdonald later regretted leaving school when he did, remarking to his private secretary Joseph Pope that if he had attended university, he might have embarked on a literary career.

Law career, 1830–1843

Legal training and early career, 1830–1837

Macdonald's parents decided he should become a lawyer after leaving school. As Donald Creighton (who wrote a two-volume biography of Macdonald in the 1950s), "law was a broad, well-trodden path to comfort, influence, even to power.". It was also "the obvious choice for a boy who seemed as attracted to study as he was uninterested in trade." Besides, Macdonald needed to start earning money immediately to support his family because his father's business ventures were failing. "I had no boyhood," he complained many years later. "From the age of 15, I began to earn my own living."

Macdonald travelled by steamboat to Toronto (known until 1834 as York), where he passed an examination, including mathematics, Latin, and history, set by the Law Society of Upper Canada. British North America had no law schools in 1830; students were examined when beginning and ending their careers; between the two examinations, they apprenticed, or articled to established lawyers.. Macdonald began his apprenticeship with George Mackenzie, a prominent young lawyer who was a well-regarded member of Kingston's rising Scottish community. Mackenzie practised corporate law, a lucrative speciality that Macdonald himself would later pursue. Macdonald was a promising student, and in the summer of 1833, managed the Mackenzie office when his employer went on a business trip to Montreal and Quebec in Lower Canada (today Quebec). Later that year, he was sent to manage the law office of a Mackenzie cousin who had fallen ill. In August 1834, George Mackenzie died of cholera. With his supervising lawyer dead, Macdonald remained at the cousin's law office in Hallowell (today Picton, Ontario). In 1835, Macdonald returned to Kingston, and even though not yet of age nor qualified, began his practice as a lawyer, hoping to gain his former employer's clients. It was not until 1836 that Macdonald returned to Toronto and successfully qualified as a lawyer. Macdonald's parents and sisters also returned to Kingston, as Hugh Macdonald became a bank clerk.

Soon after Macdonald was called to the Bar in February 1836, he arranged to take in two students: Oliver Mowat, a future premier of Ontario and like Macdonald himself, a Father of Confederation, and Alexander Campbell, future Father of Confederation, federal cabinet minister and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. One early client was Eliza Grimason, an Irish immigrant then aged sixteen, who sought advice concerning a shop she and her husband wanted to buy. Grimason would become one of Macdonald's richest and most loyal supporters, and may have also become his lover. Macdonald joined many local organisations, seeking to become well known in the town. He also sought out high-profile cases, representing accused child rapist William Brass. Brass was hung for his crime, but Macdonald attracted positive press comments for the quality of his defence. According to his biographer, Richard Gwyn

As a criminal lawyer who took on dramatic cases, Macdonald got himself noticed well beyond the narrow confines of the Kingston business community. He was operating now in the arena where he would spend by far the greatest part of his life --- the court of public opinion. And while there he was learning the arts of argument and of persuasion that would serve him all his political life.

Legal prominence (1837–1843)

All Upper Canadians between 18 and 60 years of age were members of the Sedentary Militia, which was called into active duty during the Rebellions of 1837. Macdonald served in the militia, patrolling the area around Kingston, but the town saw no action and Macdonald was not called upon to fire a shot in anger. While most of the trials resulting from the Upper Canada Rebellion took place in Toronto, Macdonald represented one of the defendants in the one trial to take place in Kingston. All the Kingston defendants were acquitted, and a local paper described Macdonald as "one of the youngest barristers in the Province is rapidly rising in his profession".

In late 1838, Macdonald agreed to advise American raiders who had crossed the border to liberate Canada from what they saw as the yoke of British colonial oppression. The inept invaders had been captured after the Battle of the Windmill (near Prescott, Ontario) --- a battle in which 16 Canadians were killed and 60 wounded. Worst of all, the American invaders were accused of mutilating the body of a dead Canadian lieutenant. Macdonald biographer Donald Creighton wrote that Kingston was "mad with grief and rage and horror" at the allegations. Macdonald could not represent the prisoners, as they were tried by court martial and civilian counsel had no standing. At the request of Kingston relatives of Daniel George, paymaster of the ill-fated invasion, Macdonald agreed to advise George, who, like the other prisoners, had to conduct his own defence. George was convicted and hung. According to Macdonald biographer Donald Swainson, "By 1838, MacDonald's position was secure. He was a public figure, a popular young man, and a senior lawyer." Because of the unrest, Parliament merged Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada effective in 1841; Kingston, which had been the capital of Upper Canada, became the capital of the new province; Upper Canada and Lower Canada became known as Canada West and Canada East.

Macdonald continued to expand his practice, becoming both a director of and a lawyer for the new Commercial Bank of the Midland District. Macdonald was often ill during this time, though the nature of his illness is uncertain. In 1841, Hugh Macdonald died. To fully recover from these problems, Macdonald decided to take a lengthy holiday in Britain in early 1842. He left for the journey well supplied with money, as he spent the last three days before his departure gambling at loo and won substantially. Sometime during his two months in Britain, he met his first cousin, Isabella Clark. As Macdonald does not mention her in his letters home, the circumstances of their meeting are not known. In late 1842, Isabella journeyed to Kingston to visit with a sister. The visit stretched for nearly a year before the Macdonalds married on 1 September 1843.

Political rise, 1843–1864

Parliamentary advancement (1843–1857)

In February 1843, Macdonald announced his candidacy for the post of alderman in Kingston's Fourth Ward. On 29 March 1843, Macdonald celebrated his first election victory, by a vote of 156 to 43 for a Colonel Jackson. He also suffered what he termed his first downfall, as his supporters, carrying the victorious candidate, accidentally dropped him onto a slushy street.

In March 1844, Macdonald was asked by local businessmen to stand as Conservative candidate for Kingston in the upcoming legislative election. By this time Kingston was no longer the capital—beginning in 1843 the seat of government rotated among Montreal, Toronto, and Quebec. Macdonald followed the then-custom of supplying the voters with large quantities of alcohol. In the era preceding the secret ballot when votes were publicly declared, Macdonald defeated his opponent, Anthony Manahan, by 275 "shouts" to 42 when the two-day election concluded on 15 October 1844. At that time, the Legislative Assembly met in Montreal. Macdonald was never an orator, and especially disliked the bombastic oratory of the time. Instead, he found a niche in becoming an expert on election law and parliamentary procedure.

In 1844, Isabella fell ill. She recovered, but became ill again the following year, and became an invalid. John Macdonald took his wife to Savannah, Georgia in the United States in 1845, hoping that the sea air and warmth would cure her ailments. Although John Macdonald was able to return to Canada after six months, Isabella remained in the United States for three years. He visited her again in New York at the end of 1846, and returned several months later when she informed him she was pregnant. In August 1847 their son, John Alexander Macdonald Jr. was born, but as Isabella remained ill, relatives cared for the infant.

Even with his absences due to his wife's illness, Macdonald was able to gain professional and political advancement. In 1846, he was created a Queen's Counsel. The same year, he was offered the non-cabinet post of Solicitor General, but declined it. In 1847, the Joint Premier, William Henry Draper, appointed Macdonald as Receiver General. Accepting the government post required Macdonald to give up his law firm income and spend most of his time in Montreal, away from Isabella. When elections were held in December 1847 and January 1848, Macdonald was easily reelected for Kingston, but the Conservatives lost seats and were forced to resign when the legislature reconvened in March 1848. Macdonald returned to Kingston when the legislature was not sitting, and Isabella joined him there in June. In August, the child John Jr. died suddenly. Isabella Macdonald gave birth to another boy, Hugh John Macdonald, and his father wrote, "We have got Johnny back again, almost his image." Even with a new son, the stresses of the marriage caused John Macdonald to drink heavily, both in public and in private.

The Liberals, or Grits, maintained power in the 1851 election, but in 1854, the Liberals were divided by a parliamentary scandal. In September, the government resigned, and a Conservative-led, under Sir Allan McNab took power. Macdonald did much of the work of putting the government together and served as Attorney General. The coalition which came to power in 1854 became known as the Liberal-Conservatives (referred to, for short, as the Conservatives) and eventually became the Progressive Conservatives. In 1855, George-Étienne Cartier of Canada East (today Quebec) joined the Cabinet. Until Cartier's 1873 death, he would be Macdonald's political partner. In 1856, McNab was eased out as Premier by Macdonald, and Macdonald became the leader of the Canada West Conservatives. He remained as Attorney General, though the most powerful man in the government, with Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché as premier.

Colonial leader (1857–1864)

Isabella Macdonald had accompanied her husband to Toronto (where the Assembly then met) in 1856; she returned to Kingston in June 1857, but John A. Macdonald departed for Britain the following month to promote Canadian government projects. On his return to Canada, he was appointed premier in place of the retiring Taché, just in time to lead the Conservatives in a general election. Macdonald was elected in Kingston by 1,189 votes to 9 for John Shaw, who was subsequently hung in effigy; however, the Conservatives did badly in Canada West, and only French-Canadian support kept Macdonald in power. On 28 December, Isabella died, leaving John A. Macdonald a widower with a seven-year-old son. Hugh John Macdonald would be principally raised by his paternal aunt and her husband.

In 1856, the Assembly had voted to move the seat of government permanently to Quebec City. Macdonald had opposed that, and used his power to force the Assembly to reconsider in 1857. Macdonald proposed that Queen Victoria decide which city should be Canada's capital. Opponents, especially from Canada East, argued that the Queen would not make the decision in isolation; she would be bound to receive informal advice from her Canadian ministers. Nevertheless, Macdonald's scheme was enacted, with Canada East support assured by allowing Quebec City to serve a three-year term as capital before whichever city was selected as permanent capital. Macdonald privately asked the Colonial Office to ensure that the Queen would not respond for at least ten months, or until after the next general election. In February 1858, the Queen's choice was announced—Ottawa, much to the dismay of many legislators from both parts of the province.

On 28 July 1858, an opposition Canada East member proposed an address to the Queen informing her that Ottawa was an unsuitable place for a national capital. Macdonald's Canada East party members crossed the floor to vote for the address, and the government was defeated. Macdonald resigned, and the Governor General, Sir Edmund Walker Head, invited opposition leader George Brown to form a government. Under the law at that time, Brown and his ministers lost their seats in the Assembly by accepting office, and had to face by-elections. This gave Macdonald a majority pending the elections, and he promptly defeated the government. Head refused Brown's request for a dissolution of the Assembly, and Brown and his ministers resigned. Head then asked Macdonald to form a government. The law allowed anyone who had held a ministerial position within the last thirty days to accept a new position without needing to face a by-election; Macdonald and his ministers accepted new positions, then completed what was dubbed the "Double Shuffle". by returning to their old posts. In an effort to give the appearance of fairness, Head insisted that Cartier be titular premier, with Macdonald as his deputy.

In the late 1850s and early 1860s, Canada went through a period of great prosperity. Communications improved, due to the railroad and telegraph. According to Macdonald biographer Richard Gwyn, "In short, Canadians began to become a single community." At the same time, the provincial government became increasingly difficult to manage. An act affecting both Canada East and Canada West required a "double majority"—a majority of legislators from each of the two sections of the province. This led to increasing deadlock in the Assembly. The two sections each had 65 MPs, even though Canada West had a larger population. One of Brown's major demands was "rep by pop", that is, representation by population, which would lead to Canada West having more seats, and was bitterly opposed by Canada East.

The American Civil War led to fears in Canada and in Britain that once the Americans had concluded their internecine warfare, they would invade Canada again. Britain asked the Canadians to pay a part of the expense of defence, and a Militia Bill was introduced in the Assembly in 1862. The opposition objected to the expense, and Canada East representatives feared that French-Canadians would have to fight in a British-instigated war. At the time, Macdonald was drinking heavily, and he failed to provide much leadership on behalf of the bill. The government fell over the bill, and the Grits took over under the leadership of John Sandfield Macdonald (no relation to John A. Macdonald). John A. Macdonald did not remain out of power long; the parties remained closely matched, with a handful of independents able to destroy any government. Brown's government fell in May 1863, but Head allowed a new election, which made little change to party strength. In December 1863, Canada West MP Albert Norton Richards accepted the post of Solictor-General, and so had to face a by-election. Johnb A. Macdonald campaigned against Richards personally, and Richards was defeated by a Conservative. The switch in seats cost the Grits their majority, and they resigned in March. John A. Macdonald returned to office with Taché as titular premier. The Taché-Macdonald government was defeated in June. The parties were deadlocked to such an extent that, according to Macdonald biographer Donald Swainson, "t was clear to everybody that the constitution of the Province of Canada was dead".

Confederation of Canada, 1864–1867

With his government having again fallen, Macdonald approached the Governor General, Lord Monck, and obtained a dissolution. Before Macdonald could act on that, he was approached, through intermediaries, by Brown, who felt that the crisis gave the parties the opportunity to join together for constitutional reform. Brown had led a committee on confederation among the British North American colonies, which had reported back just before the Taché-Macdonald government fell. Brown was more interested in representation by population; Macdonald in a federation that the other colonies could join. The two compromised and agreed that the new government would support the "federative principle"–a conveniently elastic phrase. The discussions were not public knowledge, and Macdonald stunned the Assembly by announcing that the dissolution was being postponed because of progress in negotiations with Brown—the two men were not only political rivals, but hated each other.

The parties resolved their differences, joining in the Great Coalition, with only the Parti Rouge of Canada East, led by Jean-Baptiste-Éric Dorion, outside the Coalition. A conference, called by the Colonial Office, was scheduled for 1 September 1864 in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; the Maritime colonies were to consider a union. The Canadians obtained permission to send a delegation to what became known as the Charlottetown Conference. Macdonald, Cartier, and Brown led the Canadians in Charlottetown. At the conclusion of the conference, the Maritime delegations expressed a willingness to join a confederation if the details could be worked out.

In October 1864 delegates for confederation met in Quebec City, Quebec, for the Quebec Conference, where the Seventy-Two Resolutions were agreed—they would form the basis for the structure of Canada's government. The Coalition was endangered by Taché's 1865 death: Lord Monck asked Macdonald to become premier, but Brown felt that he had as good a claim on the position as his coalition partner. The disagreement was resolved by appointing another nonentity to serve as titular premier, Narcisse-Fortunat Belleau.

In 1865, after lengthy debates, Canada's Legislative Assembly approved Confederation, 91—33. However, none of the Maritimes had approved the plan. In 1866, Macdonald and his colleagues financed pro-Confederation candidates in the New Brunswick general election, resulting in a pro-Confederation assembly. Shortly after the election, Nova Scotia's premier, Charles Tupper, pushed a pro-Confederation resolution through that colony's legislature. A final conference, to be held in London, was needed before the British Parliament could formalise Confederation. Maritime delegates left for London in July 1866, but Macdonald, who was undergoing one of his spells of heavy drinking, did not leave until November, to the fury of the Maritimers. In December 1866, Macdonald not only led the London Conference, winning great acclaim for his handling of the discussions, but wooed and won his second wife, Agnes Bernard. In January 1867, while still in London, he was seriously burned in his hotel room when his candle set fire to the chair he had fallen asleep in, but Macdonald refused to miss any sessions of the conference. In February, he married Agnes at St. George's, Hanover Square. On 8 March, the British North America Act, which would serve Canada as a constitution for over a century, passed the House of Commons (it had previously passed the House of Lords). Queen Victoria gave the bill Royal Assent on 29 March.

Macdonald had favoured the union coming into force on 15 July, fearing that the preparations would not be completed any earlier. On 22 May, however, it was announced that the Dominion of Canada would come into existence on 1 July. Lord Monck appointed Macdonald as the new nation's first Prime Minister. With the birth of the Dominion, Canada East and Canada West became separate provinces, known as Quebec and Ontario. Macdonald himself was knighted on that first observance of what came to be known as Canada Day, 1 July 1867.

First term as prime minister, 1867–1871

Queen Victoria knighted John A. Macdonald for playing an integral role in bringing about Confederation. His appointment as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George was announced at the birth of the Dominion, 1 July 1867. An election was held in August which put Macdonald and his Conservative party into power.

Macdonald's vision as prime minister was to enlarge the country and unify it. Accordingly, under his rule Canada bought Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory from the Hudson's Bay Company for £300,000 (about $11,500,000 in modern Canadian dollars). This became the Northwest Territories. In 1870 Parliament passed the Manitoba Act, creating the province of Manitoba out of a portion of the Northwest Territories in response to the Red River Rebellion led by Louis Riel.

Second term and resignation over Pacific Scandal, 1871–1873

In 1871, Britain added British Columbia to Confederation, making it the sixth province. Macdonald promised a transcontinental railway connection to persuade the province to join, which his opponents decried as a highly unrealistic and expensive promise. In 1873 Prince Edward Island joined Confederation, and Macdonald created the North-West Mounted Police (now called the "Royal Canadian Mounted Police") on the advice of the Northwest Territories government, to act as a police force for the vast Northwest Territories.

In 1873, Macdonald was accused of taking bribes to award contracts for the construction of the railway. The Pacific Scandal broke and Macdonald was forced to resign on 5 November 1873. Liberal leader Alexander Mackenzie formed a caretaker government. After New Years, 1874, the Liberals called an election. Macdonald's Tories were unable to recover from the scandal and the Liberals formed a majority government. This election was further more the first in Canada to use a secret ballot.

Final years as prime minister and death, 1878–1891

In 1878 on the strength of the National Policy, a plan to promote trade within the country by protecting it from the industries of other nations, he also promised to renew the effort to complete the previously promised Canadian Pacific Railway. Macdonald won re-election as prime minister again in 1882. In 1884, Macdonald introduced a bill that would have given unmarried women with the required qualifications Dominion franchise, but the bill was defeated by the house. The CPR was completed in 1885, after several refinancing plans to cover shortfalls for the very expensive project, plunging Canada heavily into debt. Also in 1885, Louis Riel returned to Canada from exile in the United States, and launched the North-West Rebellion in the District of Saskatchewan (at that time part of the Northwest Territories) in a bid for independence, but now that there was a railway through the area, militia were quickly sent to put it down; troops travelling from central Canada reached the site in eleven days. The success of this operation gave the CPR enough political capital to garner sufficient support to complete its construction. The trial and subsequent execution of Riel for treason caused a deep political division between French Canadians, who supported Riel (a culturally French Métis and devoutly Catholic) and English Canadians, who supported Macdonald.

In 1891, Macdonald won the elections again, but by this time, the 76-year-old political warhorse started to feel the years of overwork, stress, drink and several bouts of severe illness, including a gallstone problem in 1870 that turned his office into a sick room for two months. On 29 May 1891, Sir John A. suffered a severe stroke, which robbed him of the ability to speak. He died a week later on 6 June 1891 at the age of 76. He lie in state in the Canadian Senate Chamber (prime ministers now lie in state in the Hall of Honour in the Centre Block) where grieving Canadians turned out in the thousands to pay their respects. His state funeral was held on June 9, attended by hundreds of thousands of people. He is buried in Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston, Ontario. Currently, his only surviving descendant is his great-grandson, Hugh Gainsford.

Personal life

Tragic first marriage

John A. Macdonald's adult life was marked by sickness, death, drunkenness and tragedy. Yet, he rose above his private unhappiness and personal failings to become a well-loved and highly successful public figure, applying "all his passion to politics". He officially became head of his family on 29 September 1841, with the sudden death of his father Hugh from a brain hemorrhage. Now, John was solely responsible for the financial support of his mother and two unmarried sisters. Fortunately, his law practice was going well and his income was supplemented by extensive business activities. He served for example, as a director of the prosperous Commercial Bank of the Midland District as well as its lawyer. The Bank provided him with a large part of his income. He also bought real estate and eventually became a director of a dozen Kingston companies.

But at the same time, he frequently suffered from an undiagnosed illness. The symptoms, weakness and listlessness, began in 1840 and continued sporadically throughout 1841. Macdonald decided he needed a complete rest, and in January 1842 he set sail for Britain, his pockets full of the money (about two thousand dollars) he had won during three nights of playing the card game Loo. Macdonald's trip proved to be fateful. He recovered his health and met his first cousin Isabella Clark. Isabella's features were gentle and tranquil, according to biographer Donald Creighton, "her hair brushed smoothly away from its centre part in the demure fashion of the 1840s." She also had "large, beautiful blue eyes with an imploring expression that melted more than one observer's heart." "Isa," as Macdonald called her, followed him home to Kingston and on 1 September 1843, they were married. Macdonald was 28, Isabella, 34.

For the first year, the Macdonalds lived the life of a happy, successful couple. John had been elected city alderman a few months before his marriage, so he was now a prominent local politician, and his law partnership with his former student, Alexander Campbell, continued to flourish. In the fall of 1844, Macdonald was elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Kingston. Then, in 1845, everything changed when his beloved "Isa" got sick. She suffered periodic attacks that included severe headaches and numbness. Biographer Patricia Phenix writes that Isabella was diagnosed "as suffering everything from tic douloureux, a devastating pain in the fifth nerve of her face, to 'uterine neuralgia.'". To relieve the pain, she drank liquid opium as well as sherry. The opium and alcohol combined with the painful attacks left her groggy, exhausted and bedridden. Her chronic illness may also have had psychological causes rooted in an "hysterical personality" compounded by migraine headaches and her dependence on opium. As the illness continued, Macdonald feared Isabella would die. "The warm, pleasant edifice of his domestic happiness," Donald Creighton writes, "was crumbling towards utter ruin."

Macdonald's two sons

Macdonald responded to his wife's protracted illness by taking her to Savannah, Georgia where he hoped the warm climate and the company of her sisters would restore her health. They set off on their journey in the summer of 1845. The trip turned out to be long and gruelling with Isabella often unable to walk and suffering excruciating pain. They first joined Isabella's sisters in New Haven, Connecticut, finally reaching Savannah in late November. Macdonald was anxious to return home to continue his political career. He had to remain in the American south however, until Isabella's sisters arrived in mid-January 1846. He would not see his wife again until Christmas when they were reunited in New York City. There, Isabella became pregnant. After Macdonald returned to Canada, she remained under medical care in New York. Their first son, John Alexander, was born in New York on 3 August 1847, after a long and agonizing labour. "His eyes are dark blue, very large & nose to match," Macdonald wrote to his sister-in-law. "When born his length was 1 foot 9 inches & was strong and healthy, though thin."

Macdonald rented Bellevue House in Kingston in 1848 in the hope that the fresh suburban air and quiet would help Isabella's condition after her return from New York. This experiment, however, was a failure. Worse still, shortly after the Macdonalds moved into their new home, 13-month-old John Alexander was found dead in his crib, a possible victim of SIDS or sudden infant death syndrome. Isabella became pregnant again in 1849, yet another miracle for a 40-year-old chronically ill woman. Their second son, Hugh John, was born on 13 March 1850. "We have got Johnnie back again," Macdonald wrote to his sister. "I don't think he is so pretty, but he is not so delicate. He was born fat & coarse."

Hugh John and his father were never close. The boy was raised by Macdonald's sister Margaret and her husband, James Williamson, after Isabella's death in 1857.

Debt and drinking

Macdonald's frequent absences from his law practice to care for Isabella and the expenses of providing medical and nursing care drove him into heavy debt. Salaries for politicians during this period were meagre stipends. His partner objected to his casual habit of using law firm revenues to pay his expenses and in 1849, Alexander Campbell decided to leave the partnership. Macdonald had already turned to the bottle for solace during the 12 lonely years of Isabella's illness. They were years in which, according to Donald Creighton, he had become "a bachelor husband who had to go for companionship to bars and lounges and smoking rooms; a frustrated host who drank too much on occasion, partly because it was the only way he could entertain, and because it passed the empty time, and because it was an easy way to forget." According to Richard Gwyn, a biographer, Sir John was not a steady alcoholic but rather a binge drinker. Long periods of abstinence would precede bouts of intense inebriation lasting weeks. Macdonald was well known for his wit and also for his alcoholism. Two apocryphal stories are commonly repeated; the first describing an election debate in which Macdonald was so drunk he began vomiting while on stage. His opponent quickly pointed this out and said: "Is this the man you want running your country? A drunk!" Collecting himself, Macdonald replied "I get sick ... not because of drink I am forced to listen to the ranting of my honourable opponent." The second version has Macdonald responding to his opponent's query of his drunkenness with "It goes to show that I would rather have a drunk Conservative than a sober Liberal."

Second marriage and daughter

In 1867, at the age of 52, Macdonald married his second wife Susan Agnes Bernard (1836–1920). They had one daughter, Margaret Mary Theodora Macdonald (1869–1933), who was born with hydrocephalus and suffered from physical and mental disabilities. Macdonald was unusual for his day because he insisted that "Miss Mary" have as normal a life as possible, rather than being shut away in a sick room. She hosted parties and was well known in the neighbourhood, even though she had to use a wheelchair and assistants. Macdonald always hoped she would recover, but she never did. She died in 1933.

Supreme Court appointments

Macdonald chose the following jurists to be appointed as justices of the Supreme Court of Canada by the Governor General:

• Christopher Salmon Patterson (27 October 1888–24 July 1893)
• John Wellington Gwynne (14 January 1879–7 January 1902)
• Sir William Johnstone Ritchie (as Chief Justice, 11 January 1879–25 September 1892; appointed a Puisne Justice under Prime Minister Mackenzie, 30 September 1875)

Freemasonry and Orangeism

Macdonald was a Freemason, initiated in 1844 at St. John’s Lodge No. 5 in Kingston. In 1868, he was named by the United Grand Lodge of England as its Grand Representative near the Grand Lodge of Canada (in Ontario) and the rank of Past Grand Senior Warden conferred upon him. He continued to represent the Grand Lodge of England until his death in 1891. His commission, together with his apron and earmuffs, are in the Masonic Temple at Kingston, along with his regalia as Past Grand Senior Warden. Among the books in his library was a very rare copy of the first Masonic book published in Canada, A History of Freemasonry in Nova Scotia (1786).

Macdonald was also a member of the Orange Order.

Legacy

Macdonald is depicted on the Canadian ten-dollar bill. He also has bridges (Macdonald-Cartier Bridge), airports (Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, and highways (Macdonald-Cartier Freeway) named after him, as well as statues and a plethora of schools across the country. In Kingston, Macdonald Park and Sir John A. Macdonald Boulevard are both named in his honour, and a large bronze statue of the man stands at the corner of King and West streets, in the southeastern corner of Macdonald Park. The law building at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario is named in his honour. The Hotel Macdonald in Edmonton and Macdonald House, part of Canada's high commission in London, are also named for him.

Our Premier / words by George Frederick Cameron; music by Oscar Ferdinand Telgmann Kingston, Ontario C.J Cameron, c 1885 in honour of John A. Macdonald Macdonald and his son, Hugh John Macdonald, briefly sat together in the Canadian House of Commons before the elder Macdonald's death.

In 1999, after a survey of Canadian historians covering all the Prime Ministers up through Jean Chrétien, J.L. Granatstein and Norman Hillmer showed that Macdonald was ranked second, only beaten out of first place by William Lyon Mackenzie King.

In 2004, Macdonald was nominated as one of the top 10 "Greatest Canadians" by viewers of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He is considered by some Canadian political scientists to be the founder of the Red Tory tradition.

The Bellevue House National Historic Site of Canada in Kingston, Ontario was Sir John Alexander Macdonald's home from 1848 to 1849.

Schools named after him:

Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute, Scarborough, Ontario

Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School, Hamilton, Ontario

Sir John A. Macdonald School, Calgary, Alberta

Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School, Waterloo, Ontario

Sir John A. Macdonald High School, Upper Tantallon, Nova Scotia

Sir John A. Macdonald School, Belleville, Ontario

Sir John A. Macdonald Public School, Pickering, Ontario

Sir John A Macdonald Middle School, Brampton, Ontario

See also

• List of Canadian Prime Ministers

Biographical and historical studies

• Bliss, Michael. (1994) Right Honourable Men: The Descent of Canadian Politics from Macdonald to Mulroney.
• Bowering, George. (1999) Egotists and Autocrats: The Prime Ministers of Canada.
• Careless, J.M.S. (1963) Canada: A Story of Challenge. (Revised Edition) Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
• Collins, Joseph Edmund. (1883) Life and times of the Right Honourable Sir John A. Macdonald: Premier of the Dominion of Canada
• Creighton, Donald. (1952) John A. Macdonald: The Young Politician vol 1: 1815–1867. Toronto: The Macmillan Company of Canada Limited.
• Creighton, Donald. (1955) John A. Macdonald: The Old Chieftain vol 2: 1867–1891. Toronto: The Macmillan Company of Canada Limited.
• Creighton, Donald. (1964) The Road to Confederation: The Emergence of Canada: 1863–1867. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
• Granatstein, J.L. and Hillmer, Norman (1999) Prime Ministers: Ranking Canada's Leaders. Toronto: HarperCollinsPublishingLtd. P. 15-28. ISBN 0-00-200027-X.
• Guillet, Edwin C, (1967) You'll Never Die, John A!. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
• Gwyn, Richard. (2007) The Man Who Made Us: The Life and Times of Sir John A. Macdonald. vol 1: 1815–1867. Random House Canada.
• Hutchison, Bruce. (1964) Mr. Prime Minister 1867–1964. Toronto: Longmans Canada.
• Johnson, J.K. (1969) Affectionately Yours: The Letters of Sir John A. Macdonald and His Family. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada.
• Johnson, J.K. and Waite, P.B. (2007) "Sir John Alexander Macdonald," in Canada's Prime Ministers, Macdonald to Trudeau: Portraits from the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
• McSherry, James. (1984) The invisible lady: Sir John A. Macdonald's first wife. In Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, pp. 91–97.
• Phenix, Patricia. (2006) Private Demons, The Tragic Personal Life of John A. Macdonald. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
• Pope, Joseph. (1894) Memoirs of the Right Honourable Sir John Alexander Macdonald, G.C.B., First Prime Minister of The Dominion of Canada, Vols. 1&2. Ottawa: J. Durie & Son.
• Pope, Joseph. (1915) The Day of Sir John Macdonald: A Chronicle of the First Prime Minister of the Dominion. Toronto: Brook & Co.
• Pope, Joseph (1921) Correspondence of Sir John Macdonald: selections from the correspondence of Sir John Alexander Macdonald. Toronto: Oxford University Press.
• Sletcher, Michael. (2004) "Sir John A. Macdonald," in James Eli Adams, and Tom and Sara Pendergast, eds., Encyclopedia of the Victorian Era. 4 vols., Danbury, CT: Grolier Academic Reference.
• Ronald J. Stagg, “Schoultz, Nils Von,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, ed. Ramsay Cook (Toronto: University of Toronto, 2000).
• Swainson, Donald. (1989) Sir John A. Macdonald: The Man and the Politician. Kingston, ON: Quarry Press.
• Waite, P. B. (1971) Canada 1874–1896: Arduous Destiny. Toronto, McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
• Waite, P. B. (1975) Macdonald: His Life and World. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. ISBN 0-07-082301-4.
• Waite, P. B. (1976) + (1999) John A. Macdonald. Don Mills, ON: Fitzhenry and Whiteside Limited.
• Wallace, W. Stewart. (1924) Sir John Macdonald. Toronto: The Macmillan Company of Canada Limited.

Notes

1. Pope, Sir Joseph (1930) Memoirs of The Right Honourable John Alexander Macdonald. Toronto: ON: The Musson Book Company Ltd., p.3. Pope relates that Hugh Macdonald recorded the time of Sir John's birth as 4:15, 11 January 1815.
2. Gwyn, p. 8. Although 10 January is the official date recorded in the General Register Office in Edinburgh, 11 January is the day Macdonald and and those who commemorate him have celebrated his birthday. Gwyn, p. 8
3. Phenix, p. 6
4. Gwyn, p. 13.
5. ^ Smith, p. 1
6. Creighton, p.18.
7. Pope, pp.4–5.
8. Swainson, p.19.
9. ^ Creighton, p.19.
10. Pope, p.6.
11. Creighton 1952, pp. 19–20.
12. Gwyn, pp.46–47.
13. Creighton 1952, pp. 29-30
14. Creighton 1952, pp. 32–34
15. Gwyn, p. 48
16. Phenix, p. 38
17. Swainson, p. 19.
18. Phenix, p. 41
19. Phenix, pp. 41–42
20. Gwyn, p.49.
21. Phenix, p. 43
22. Creighton 1952, pp. 53–54
23. Creighton 1952, pp.61–63
24. Creighton 1952, p. 67
25. Swainson, p. 21
26. Swainson, p. 22
27. Swainson, p. 23
28. Phenix, p. 56
29. Phenix, p. 57
30. ^ Phenix, p. 59
31. Gwyn, p. 59
32. Phenix, pp. 63–64
33. Swainson, p. 25
34. Gwyn, p. 64
35. Swainson, p. 28
36. Swainson, pp. 28–29
37. Phenix, pp. 79–83
38. Swainson, pp. 30–31
39. ^ Swainson, p. 31
40. Phenix, p. 83
41. Gwyn, pp. 85–86
42. Swainson, p. 37
43. Phenix, p. 107
44. Swainson, pp. 40–42
45. Gwyn, p. 162
46. Phenix, pp. 124–125
47. Swainson, p. 42
48. Phenix, p. 129
49. Phenix, p. 130
50. Creighton 1952, pp. 248–249
51. Swainson, pp. 46–47
52. Gwyn, pp. 175–177
53. Swainson, p. 48
54. Gwyn, pp. 194–195
55. Gwyn, p. 201
56. Swainson, p. 49
57. Swainson, pp. 52–53
58. Swainson, pp. 54–55
59. Gwyn, pp. 286–288
60. Gwyn, pp. 288–289
61. Swainson, pp. 63–65
62. Swainson, pp. 67–69
63. Swainson, p. 73
64. Swainson, p. 72
65. Phenix, p. 172
66. Swainson, p. 75
67. Phenix, p. 175
68. Phenix, pp. 176–177
69. Swainson, p. 76
70. Gwyn, p. 416
71. Creighton 1952, p. 466
72. Creighton 1952, pp. 470–471
73. Swainson, p. 79
74. "The North-West Council". Vol II No. 197. Manitoba Daily Free Press. February 19, 1876. p. 8.
75. Mr. Prime Minister 1867–1964, by Bruce Hutchison, Toronto 1964, Longmans Canada.
76. Gwyn, p. 86.
77. Phenix, p.49.
78. Swainson, p.29.
79. Gwyn, pp.54–55.
80. Swainson, p.31.
81. Creighton, p.84. The two thousand dollar figure is from Gwyn, p.55.
82. Waite, P.B. (1975) Macdonald: His Life and World. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, p.24. Waite notes that "strictly speaking" Isabella was "a half-second cousin." The two had a maternal grandmother in common.
83. Creighton, p.85.
84. Phenix, pp.56–57.
85. Phenix pp.56 & 59
86. Swainson, p.33. Macdonald concluded his partnership agreement with Campbell on the same day as his wedding. See, Phenix, p.61.
87. Creighton, p.99.
88. Phenix, p.70.
89. Phenix, pp.69–71, 82 & 86.
90. McSherry, James. (1984) "The invisible lady: Sir John A. Macdonald's first wife." In Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, pp. 91–97. See also Phenix, pp.71–72 & 77.
91. Creighton, p.112
92. Phenix gives a detailed account of the couple's arduous travels, pp.72–79.
93. Gwyn, p.83
94. Phenix, p.85.
95. Johnson, J.K. (1969) Affectionately Yours: The Letters of Sir John A. Macdonald and His Family. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, p.53.
96. Phenix, pp.93–94. Phenix writes: "According to Dr. Josephine Faveraux of the Addiction Research Foundation of Ontario, the rate of SIDS increases in infants and toddlers born to mothers addicted to opiates, especially if alcohol has also played a part in the equation."
97. Phenix, p.100.
98. Johnson, p.71.
99. Creighton, pp.147–149.
100. Creighton, pp.260–261.
101. Canadian Prime Ministers
102. Sir John A. Macdonald, Freemason
103. Houston, Cecil J., and William J. Smyth. The Sash Canada Wore: A Historical Geography of the Orange Order in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1980.
104. http://amicus.collectionscanada.gc.ca/m5-bin/Main/ItemDisplay?l=0&l_ef_l=-1&id=544315.1058422&v=1&lvl=1&coll=17&rt=1&itm=5375808&rsn=S_WWWbeaPPbvVu&all=1&dt=AW+%7CTelgmann%7C&spi=-&rp=1&vo=1 Our Premier

External links

• "Macdonald-Biography-First Among Equals". Libraries and Archives Canada.
• "Sir John A. Macdonald: Father of Confederation". City of Kingston.
• "John A. Macdonald's Kingston". Kingston Historical Society.
• The Canadian Museum of Civilization – Face-to-Face – The Canadian Personalities Hall
• Sir John A. Macdonald: Architect of Modern Canada
• John A. Macdonald, Confederation and Canadian Federalism
• "Macdonald, John Alexander" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• "Sir John A. Macdonald, Freemason"
• John A. Macdonald – Parliament of Canada biography
• Image of The Jamaica with Sir and Lady Macdonald aboard
• John Macdonald's Gravesite
• Correspondence of Sir John Macdonald; selections from the correspondence of the Right Honorable Sir John Alexander Macdonald, first Prime Minister of the Dominion of Canada, made by his literary executor Sir Joseph Pope (1921)
• "Macdonald, Sir John Alexander". The Canadian Encyclopedia.
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography article by J. K. Johnson and P. B. Waite

Template:Persondata

• Canadian Anglicans
• Canadian knights
• Canadian lawyers
• Canadian Ministers of Railways and Canals
• Converts to Anglicanism
• Deaths from stroke
• Fathers of Confederation
• Former Presbyterians
• John A. Macdonald
• Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
• Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
• Leaders of the historical Conservative Party of Canada
• Leaders of the Opposition in the Canadian House of Commons
• Macdonald family
• Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
• Members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
• Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
• Lawyers in Ontario
• Orange Order
• Orangemen
• People from Glasgow
• People from Kingston, Ontario
• Premiers of the Province of Canada
• Prime Ministers of Canada
• Scottish immigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario
• Scottish Gaelic-speaking people
• 1815 births
• 1891 deaths
• Canadian monarchists
• National Historic Persons of Canada