Sir John Alexander Macdonald , C.P., C.R., G.C.B, K.C.M.G, D.C.L, LL.D. (born the January 11th 1815 with Glasgow, in Scotland, and deceased the June 6th 1891) was the first nobody to occupy the station of Prime Minister of Canada; he exercised a first mandate of July 1st 1867 with the November 5th 1873, and was re-elected for a second mandate which lasted of the October 17th 1878 until its death, the June 6th 1891.

Origins

Although there exists a certain dissension on the exact date of its birth, the recorded official date is the January 10th; Macdonald itself celebrated it the January 11th. His/her parents, Hugh Macdonald and Helen Shaw, meet in Scotland in 1811. After the failure of her father in businesses, the family emigrates with the Canada in 1820, at the same time as of the thousands of others which seek grounds at affordable prices and the attraction of a new prosperity.

Prosperous Macdonald, becoming lawyer in 1836 and deserving the regard of much by its solid defense (but without success) of the American plunderers captured at the time of the Rebellions of 1837. In 1843, at the 28 years age, it marries his/her cousin Isabella Clark (1811 - 1857). Shortly after the marriage, Isabella is reached of a mysterious disease. It must take drugs and must spend most clearly its time to the bed. They have two children: a son, John, who die only old of 1 year, and a second wire, Hugh John, which is raised by the sister of Macdonald, Margaret, and her husband James Williamson after the death of Isabella in 1857. Hugh John becomes later Prime Minister Manitoba.

Ten years after the death of his wife, in 1867, the year of the Canadian Confederation, it marries Susan Agnes Bernard (1836 - 1920). They have a girl, Margaret Mary Theodora Macdonald (1869 - 1933), which is born hydrocéphale and suffers from physical handicaps and mental. In spite of the hopes of her father, she never cures.

Political ascendance

In 1843, Macdonald shows the first signs of its interest for the policy. He is elected alderman town of Kingston, in Ontario. The following year it accepts the nomination of the Conservative party for a seat with the legislative Assemblée of what was at the time known under the name of the Province of Canada. It gains the election with facility, becoming blow a player over the political scene.

It gains the recognition of its pars and, in 1847, is indicated general Receveur within the government of William Henry Draper. However, Macdonald must give up this ministerial wallet when Draper east demolishes at the time of the following election. It leaves the conservatives, seeking to create a more moderate base. In 1854, it founds the Parti liberal-conservative under the direction Sir Allan MacNab. In a few years, the liberal-conservatives succeed in attracting each other all the old preserving base like many center reformists. The liberal-conservatives reach pouveoir in 1854 and Macdonald is named Public prosecutor. Within the Council of Ministers, Macdonald is usually the most influential minister, even if it does not occupy the post of Prime Minister. With the following elections, Macdonald continues its rise and becomes Prime Minister joined of the Province of Canada to the sides of Sir Etienne-Paschal Taché, of the Quebec, for the years 1856 and 1857.

Stained resigns in 1857, and George-Etienne Cartier takes his place. With the elections of 1858, the government Macdonald-Cartier east demolishes and they resign their posts of Prime Ministers. In an interesting political reversal, the General governor of Canada request in Cartier to accept the post of Prime Minister senior, one week only after its defeat. Cartier accepts and takes along Macdonald posts some with him. This was legal: any member of the cabinet could reinstate this one with the proviso of doing it in the month following their resignation. Macdonald concentrates on the communications and defense, with an special attention on the intercolonial railroad.

The Coalition government is again demolishes in 1862. Macdonald then exerts the function of chief of the opposition until the elections of 1864, when Sir Etienne-Paschal Taché leaves his retirement and joint in Macdonald to form an once again controlling party.

Father of the confederation

Macdonald, at this stage of its political career, starts to think in the future of the policy in its area. He is the chief of the largest British colony of the area and has the capacity to help to establish agreements to confederate the British colonies. This is done with an aim of creating more stability for the colonies (which rather frequently change governments), of creating a base for an expansion towards the west, and to create a country unified in order to defend oneself against attacks coming from the the United States in the south.

In order to put an end to the changes frequent governments in the Province of Canada, George Brown, chief of the Reformists (predecessors of the Liberal party of Canada) and opponent extêmement vocal of the conservatives of Macdonald, join in Macdonald in 1864 to form the “  Great coalition   ”, an important progress towards the Confederation. Macdonald business then, between 1864 and 1867, to organize the legislation necessary to the formation of a confederation of the colonies to form the country of Canada. In September 1864, it directs the Canadian delegation to the Conférence of Charlottetown to Charlottetown (Island-of-Prince-Edouard) in order to present its idea to the maritime colonies, which discuss already a union between them. In October 1864, the delegates for the confederation met with Quebec (Canada-Is), for the Conférence of Quebec where the Soixante-douze resolutions are created — the plan for the confederation. In 1866, the New Brunswick, the Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada agree for a confederal union. Newfoundland and the Island-of-Prince-Edouard is opposed to it. At the time of the final conference, held in 1866 with London, in England, the agreement is supplemented.

In 1867 the agreement is presented to the Parliament Britannique, which then creates the Acte of British North America, thus creating the Dominion of Canada. With the creation of new the Dominion, the Province of Canada is divided into two individual provinces, the Quebec and the Ontario (the surface of these two provinces is much smaller at the time than it is it today; a good part of their Scandinavian territory still formed part of the Ground of Rupert, which belongs to the Compagnie of Hudson Bay).

The Reine Victoria makes knight John A. Macdonald to have played a central role in the development of the Confederation. Its designation like Commander-knight of the Order of Saint-Michel and Saint-Georges is announced the day of the birth of the Dominion, on July 1st 1867. An general election is organized in August which leads Macdonald and its conservatives to the capacity (see: Canadian Federal election of 1867).

Prime Minister

As a Prime Minister, Macdonald has a vision: the expansion and unification of the country. Under its reign, Canada makes the purchase of the Ground of Rupert and the Territoire of the North-West to the Compagnie of Hudson Bay for 300.000 £ (approximately 11.500.000 $). This territory becomes the Territoires of the North-West. In 1870, the Parliament adopts the Loi on Manitoba , creating the province of the Manitoba starting from a portion of the Territories of the North-West in answer to the Rébellion of the river Rouge directed by Louis Riel.

In 1871, the British Parliament adds the colony of Colombia-British to the Canadian confederation, making of it the sixth province. Macdonald promises a to them transcontinental railroad to convince the province to integrate Canada; the opponents of Macdonald décrient the promise as being extremely expensive and unrealistic. In 1873, the Island-of-Prince-Edouard joint also with the confederation, and Macdonald creates the royal Gendarmerie of Canada (named at the time the assembled Gendarmerie of the North-West) to maintain the order in vast the Territoires of the North-West.

After the Scandal of the Pacific in 1873, during which Macdonald is shown to have accepted bribes to grant governmental contracts for the construction of the railroad, Macdonald is obliged to resign and the Liberal party of Canada, directed then by Alexander Mackenzie, form a temporary government; the government starts soon the federal election of 1874 and the liberals of Mackenzie are elected. Macdonald is re-elected in 1878 thanks to its National policy, a plan to promote the commercial exchanges inside the country in the protecting from industries of the other countries and by renewing the efforts to supplement the railroad the Canadian Pacific which he had promised. The railroad is finally supplemented in 1885. This same year, Louis Riel returns to Canada and lance the Rébellion of the North-West in the territory of the Saskatchewan; but there is now a railroad which crosses the area, and the assembled Police force of the North-West is quickly sent to crush the rebellion. The lawsuit and the subsequent execution of Riel for treason create a major division between the Canadian-French, which support Riel (a Métis of French-speaking culture) and the Canadian-English, which support Macdonald.

Macdonald gains the elections of 1891 once again, but at 76 years, years of overwork, of stress, drink and periods of grave disease (of which a problem of gallstone in 1870 which had transformed its office into hospital for two months) start to make feel their effect of accumulation. May 29th, 1891, it undergoes a attacks severe which removes the capacity of speaking to him; it never goes back from there. He dies one week later on June 6th, 1891. Thousands of Canadians in mourning are presented to show their respect whereas his skin is exposed to the parliamentary buildings with Ottawa, in the room of the Senate of Canada. Its funeral of state proceeds on June 9th; hundreds of thousands of Canadian assist to with it, and they are presented as a crowd to see leaving the train which brings back its skin to Kingston, where it is buried with the Cataraqui cemetery.

Macdonald occupies the post of Prime Minister for a 19 years total, making of Macdonald the Prime Minister having been useful longest after William Lyon Mackenzie King. It deserved admiration to have helped to forge a nation of gigantic geographical size, including/understanding two colonial cultures of various European origins and a multiplicity of cultures and political opinions.

Nominations at the Supreme court.

  • Sir William Johnstone Ritchie (Judge as a chief) — January 11th, 1879 - September 25th, 1892) (named Judge puîné by Mackenzie in 1875)

  • John Wellington Gwynne (January 14th, 1879 - January 7th, 1902)
  • Christopher Salmon Patterson (October 27th, 1888 - July 24th, 1893)

Various facts

  • Macdonald was well-known as much for its spirit sharpened that for its Alcoolisme. It is known that it was in a state of intoxication for good number of debates at the Parliament. A famous anecdote tells that during an electoral debate, Macdonald was so drunk that it started to vomit violently on the platform while its adversary spoke. Macdonald was addressed then to crowd while saying: “  See like the ideas of my adversary me dégoûtent.  ” In another version of the history, he answered his adversary which questioned it on its state of intoxication: “  It is simply to show that I prefer a drunk conservative with a liberal sobre.  ”

  • Macdonald had sometimes difficulty in control its anger. At the time of a debate to the House of Commons, Donald Smith the met so much in anger that Macdonald sinks on him to attack it physically. Others prevent some, but he refuses to excuse himself.

  • Macdonald had a strong resemblance with British the Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. In the funeral of this last in 1881, another minister British believes to see the phantom of Disraeli; it was acted in fact of Macdonald.

  • Sir John A. Macdonald appears on the Canadian ticket of ten dollars. There are also bridges, airports and highways which bear its name (the Macdonald-Cartier highway, in Ontario, bears the names of Macdonald and another father of the confederation, George-Etienne Cartier), as well as a crowd of schools through the country.

  • Macdonald and its son, Hugh John Macdonald, briefly sat side by side in the House of Commons of Canada before the death of Macdonald in 1891. Hugh John will be later Prime Minister of Manitoba.

  • John Macdonald was Franc-maçon. He was initiated in 1844 with St John' S Lodge No 5, of Kingston Ontario.

  • In 2004, Sir John A. Macdonald was nominated like one of 10 larger Canadian by the televiewers of CBC.

  • It is regarded by several political experts as being the founder of the tradition Red tory .

  • the daily newspaper Vancouver Sun reports, the June 30th 2005, that the birthplace of Macdonald with Glasgow, in Scotland, is in danger of demolition.

See too

External bonds

  • Biography of the biographical Dictionary of Canada in line

  • John A. Macdonald, Confederation and Canadian Federalism
  • federal political Experiment — Library of the Parliament

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