John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada. He was an important influence on the Canadian Confederation, July 1, 1867. Macdonald was in office from 1867 to 1873 and again from 1878 to 1891, making him the second longest-serving Prime Minister of Canada (after William Lyon Mackenzie King) and the only one to win six majority governments.
Sir John A. Macdonald | |
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| 1st Prime Minister of Canada | |
| In office 1 July 1867 – 5 November 1873 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor General | The Viscount Monck The Lord Lisgar The Earl of Dufferin |
| Preceded by | Office established (see Canadian Confederation) |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Mackenzie |
| In office 17 October 1878 – 6 June 1891 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor General | The Earl of Dufferin Marquess of Lorne The Marquess of Lansdowne The Lord Stanley of Preston |
| Preceded by | Alexander Mackenzie |
| Succeeded by | John Abbott |
| Joint-Premier of the Province of Canada Premier of Canada West | |
| In office 24 May 1856 – 2 August 1858 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Allan MacNab |
| Succeeded by | George Brown |
| In office 6 August 1858 – 24 May 1862 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | George Brown |
| Succeeded by | John Sandfield Macdonald |
| In office 30 May 1864 – 30 June 1867 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | John Sandfield Macdonald |
| Succeeded by | John Sandfield Macdonald (as Premier of Ontario) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Alexander Mcdonald 10 or 11 January 1815 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 6 June 1891 (aged 76) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Cause of death | Stroke |
| Resting place | Cataraqui Cemetery |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Other political affiliations | Upper Canada Tory (1843–1867) Great Coalition (1864–1867) Liberal-Conservative (1867–1873) |
| Spouse(s) | Isabella Clark (m. 1843; died 1857) Agnes Bernard (m. 1867) |
| Children | 3 (including Hugh John Macdonald) |
| Education | Apprenticeship |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | "Old Tomorrow" "The Old Chieftain" |
| Allegiance | British Empire Upper Canada |
| Branch/service | Loyalist militia |
| Years of service | 1837 |
| Rank | Private |
| Battles/wars | Rebellions of 1837–1838 |
Cabinet offices held
Leadership offices held
Parliamentary offices held
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One of the things Macdonald wanted to do was to build a transcontinental railway that would link Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. That railway, called the Canadian Pacific Railway, was completed in 1885.
Macdonald did not speak French as well as the Prime Ministers who came after him. He could speak Scottish Gaelic and a bit of Latin.
Macdonald had four siblings. He was the third of five children.
John A. Macdonald Media
A few months after he opened his first law office in 1835, Macdonald moved with his parents and sisters to this 21⁄2-storey stone house on Kingston's Rideau Street.
Battle of the Windmill, near Prescott, Upper Canada, November 13, 1838
Portrait of Isabella Clark Macdonald, artist unknown
John A. Macdonald photographed on June 1, 1858.
The Quebec Conference. Macdonald is seated fourth from left.
Other websites
- "Macdonald-Biography-First Among Equals". Libraries and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
- "Sir John A. Macdonald: Father of Confederation". City of Kingston. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
- "John A. Macdonald's Kingston". Kingston Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
- The Canadian Museum of Civilization - Face-to-Face - The Canadian Personalities Hall
- John A. Macdonald: Architect of Modern Canada
- John A. Macdonald, Confederation and Canadian Federalism Archived 2008-12-01 at the Wayback Machine
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- "Sir John A. Macdonald, Freemason" Archived 2007-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
- Synopsis of federal political experience from the Library of Parliament Archived 2005-03-05 at the Wayback Machine
- Image of The Jamaica with Sir and Lady Macdonald aboard Archived 2008-03-23 at the Wayback Machine
- 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. Archived from the original on 2008-03-25. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography article by J. K. Johnson and P. B. Waite
- The John A. Macdonald Portal, edited by Alastair Sweeny Archived 2008-05-31 at the Wayback Machine
- REDIRECT Template:Prime ministers of Canada