John A. Macdonald

The Right Honourable Sir John Alexander Macdonald, KCMG, GCB, QC, PC (January 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada from July 1, 1867 – November 5, 1873 and October 17, 1878 – June 6, 1891. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

Political Rise

In 1843 Macdonald exhibited his first interest in politics. He was elected as alderman of the City of Kingston, Ontario. The next year he accepted the Conservative party's nomination for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of what was then called the Province of Canada but has since been split into the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Winning the seat easily, Macdonald was now a player in the political scene.

Related Topics:
1843 - Politics - Alderman - Kingston, Ontario - Conservative - Legislative Assembly - Province of Canada - Ontario - Quebec

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He gained the recognition of his peers and in 1847 was appointed Receiver General by William Henry Draper's administration. However, Macdonald lost this distinction when Draper's government lost the next election. He left the Conservatives, hoping to build a more moderate and palatable base, leading to the creation, in 1854, of the Liberal-Conservative Party under the leadership of Sir Allan McNab. Within a few years, the Liberal-Conservatives would attract all of the old Conservative base as well as some centrist Reformers. The Liberal-Conservatives came to power in 1854 and under the new administration Macdonald was appointed Attorney-General. In the next election Macdonald continued his rise in politics by becoming Joint Premier of the Province of Canada with Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché of Québec for the years 1856 and 1857.

Related Topics:
1847 - William Henry Draper - 1854 - Allan McNab - Attorney-General - Joint Premier of the Province of Canada - Étienne-Paschal Taché - 1856 - 1857

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In the election of 1858, the Macdonald-Cartier government was defeated and they resigned as Premiers. (Taché had resigned the previous year, with Sir George-Étienne Cartier taking his place). In an interesting piece of politics, the Governor General of Canada asked Cartier to become the senior Premier, only a week after his defeat. Cartier accepted and brought Macdonald into office along with him. This was legal as any member of the cabinet could re-enter the cabinet provided they did so within a month of resigning their previous position. The coalition government was again defeated in 1862. Macdonald then served as the leader of the opposition until the election of 1864, when Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché came out of retirement and joined ranks with Macdonald to form the governing party yet again.

Related Topics:
1858 - George-Étienne Cartier - Governor General of Canada - 1862 - 1864

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