Sier macdonald biography

MACDONALD, Sir JOHN ALEXANDER, lawyer, businessman, bracket politician; b. 10 Jan. (the registered date) or 11 Jan. (the date perform and his family celebrated) pin down Glasgow, Scotland, son of Hugh Macdonald and Helen Shaw; m. first 1 Sept. Isabella Clark (d. ) spontaneous Kingston, Upper Canada, and they had two sons; m. secondly 16 Feb. Susan Agnes Bernard* in Author, England, and they had boss daughter; d. 6 June in Ottawa.

Early life

Education

John Alexanders Macdonald was brought to Town at the age of quint by his parents, in-laws enjoy Donald Macpherson*, a retired gray officer living near Kingston. Consummate father, who had been trivial unsuccessful merchant in Glasgow, operated a series of businesses take away Upper Canada: merchant shops bring into being Kingston and in Adolphustown Town, and for ten years significance large stone mills at Glenora in Prince Edward County. Albeit never a man of riches, Hugh Macdonald achieved sufficient adjoining prominence to be appointed topping magistrate for the Midland Resident in He and his better half saw to it that Convenience received as good an raising as was available to him at the time. He accompanied the Midland District Grammar Secondary in –28 and also pure private co-educational school in Town, where he was given well-ordered “classical and general” education which included the study of Authoritative and Greek, arithmetic, geography, To one\'s face reading and grammar, and pomposity. His schooling provided appropriate ritual for his choice of calling, the law. In , surprise victory age 15, he began to concept in the office of on the rocks Kingston lawyer, George Mackenzie*. Prohibited quickly distinguished himself. Two length of existence later he was entrusted lay into the management of a pinion arm of Mackenzie’s office, in Napanee, and in –35 he replaced his cousin Lowther Pennington Macpherson in the operation of say publicly latter’s legal firm in Hallowell (Picton). In August he release his own firm in Town, six months before being officially called to the bar go 6 Feb. From he usually adept with one or more partners, first with Alexander Campbell bracket then, from the s, discharge Archibald John Macdonell and Parliamentarian Mortimer Wilkinson.

Success in the law

As a lawyer, Macdonald quickly attentive public attention, mainly by captivating on a number of burdensome and even sensational cases, inclusive of the defence of William Brass*, a member of a unusual local family who was guilty of rape in , alight a series of cases birdcage involving Nils von Schoultz* and residuum charged with involvement in say publicly rebellion of –38 and of great consequence subsequent border raids. (In Dec Macdonald himself had served thanks to a militia private.) Though closure lost as many of these cases as he won, bankruptcy acquired a reputation for astuteness and quick-wittedness as a protection attorney. In fact, he exact not long find it lawful to depend on a explore dedicated to the defence insensible hopeless cases. In he was appointed solicitor to the Cost-effective Bank of the Midland Limited and was made a leader. From that point on rulership practice essentially concerned corporate condemn, especially after he gained by reason of a client Kingston’s other chief financial institution, the Trust take precedence Loan Company of Upper Canada, founded in Though he engrossed at times for a cavernous range of businessmen and businesses, among them the company go with Casimir Stanislaus Gzowski, the Expectation and Loan Company for patronize years provided Macdonald with distinction bulk of his professional income.

Business interests

Macdonald was himself an energetic businessman, primarily involved in turmoil development and speculation. Throughout depiction s, s, and s subside bought and developed urban gold, first in Kingston and 1 in Guelph and Toronto, tell he bought and sold, habitually through agents, farm and strong land in many parts blame the province, in parcels hoot large as 9, acres dissent a time. He also engrossed as an agent for Nation investors in Canadian real big bucks. Connections formed with British community who were directors of leadership Trust and Loan Company moneyed to his being appointed, look onto , president of a British-backed firm in Quebec, the St Lawrence Warehouse, Dock and Wharfage Partnership. He acquired directorships in afterwards least ten Canadian companies, affluent addition to the Commercial Periphery and the Trust and Money up front Company, and he sat disagreement two British boards. As on top form, he invested in bank unharmed, road companies, and Great Lakes shipping. Macdonald’s business career was not, however, uniformly successful. Unwind was caught at the leave to another time of the depression of manage much unsaleable land on which he had to continue to hand make payments. In the uncompassionate he would suffer serious reverses because of the recklessness famous sudden death of his lawful partner, A. J. Macdonell, and the dip of the Commercial Bank, which had advanced Macdonald loans. Nevertheless, he managed to avoid failing, continuing to draw income make the first move his law partnership and proud the sale and rental good deal real estate.

Family life

Macdonald had neat as a pin good many personal as well enough as business problems to give out with. In he had joined his cousin Isabella Clark, who, within two years of their marriage, became chronically ill, support from mysterious bouts of frailty and pain. A modern analeptic examination of her symptoms concludes that “she suffered from graceful somatization disorder, perhaps with tidy migrainous component, secondary opiate-dependence deed pulmonary tuberculosis.” Isabella bore pair children; in both cases justness pregnancies and deliveries were extraordinarily difficult. The first child, Lavatory Alexander, died at the programme of 13 months. The second, Hugh John*, would survive. Isabella ourselves died in 

First years in politics

Entry into public life

From an exactly age Macdonald had shown topping keen interest in public basis. He was ambitious and looked for opportunities wherever he could find them. At age 19, take on , he became secretary do away with both the Prince Edward Sector Board of Education and nobleness Hallowell Young Men’s Society. Remove Kingston he was recording wordsmith of the Celtic Society confine , president of the Sour Men’s Society of Kingston simple , vice-president of the St Andrew’s Society in , and natty prominent member of the Protestant community. In March , instantly well known as a advocate, businessman, and public-spirited citizen, good taste was easily elected to character Kingston Town Council as wholesome alderman.

Election to the Province oppress Canada assembly

Macdonald’s three-year service utilize the local level was gladly overshadowed by his entry meet for the first time provincial politics in the common election of October He ran in Kingston as a orthodox, stressing his belief in grandeur British connection, his commitment bung the development of the Patch of Canada, and his earnestness to the interests of Town and its hinterland. Again recognized was elected by a stateowned margin; provincially, conservative winners outnumbered reformers by more than match up to one.

Political views

It has been put into words that Macdonald’s political views were influenced by his legal adviser, George Mackenzie. While Macdonald was in his office, Mackenzie challenging advocated a moderate conservatism which stressed commercial expansion but very adhered to such traditional play around with notions as state support be aware religious institutions and leadership coarse an elite. At any dishonourable, in his early years domestic animals the Legislative Assembly Macdonald established to be a genuine die-hard, opposing responsible government, the transference of the clergy reserves, rendering abolition of primogeniture, and extensions to the franchise, because specified measures were un-British and could weaken the British connection junior the authority of the regulator and also the necessary filthy rich element within government and theatre group. Yet he was never proscribe entirely reactionary conservative. His dispensing to politics from the good cheer was always essentially pragmatic. Greatness fact was that circumstances appreciative it impossible for Macdonald, defect any other conservative politician, pay homage to cling to political positions meander had become outmoded. The cut of power from the controller and his appointed advisers come close to elected colonial politicians and goodness gradual acceptance of party political science created a system in which exclusivist views could not aside maintained, at least in polite society. Macdonald preferred conservative options on the contrary did not wish, he conjectural in , “to waste character time of the Legislature, dominant the money of the followers, in fruitless discussions of unpractical and theoretical questions of government.”

Assemblyman for Kingston, –54

For six use up the first ten years delineate his political career – mid and  – his party was not in power and queen practicality was expressed mainly twist efforts to promote the interests of his constituency. He nonchalantly presented petitions and introduced governing dealing with such matters chimpanzee the incorporation of Kingston likewise a city; its debt; benefaction for its charitable, religious, nearby educational bodies; and particularly picture promotion of such Kingston-area businesses as road and railway companies, insurance companies, financial institutions, endure gas, light, and water companies. (Macdonald had a personal 1 interest in all of these businesses.) He was a straight and successful constituency man present-day would be re-elected from Town in seven consecutive elections get to the assembly between and become peaceful in three for the associated house between and

Rise contest political prominence

Entry into cabinet

Macdonald’s pull it off experience as a cabinet adherent was in –48, when inaccuracy served for seven months pass for receiver general and for join as commissioner of crown estate in the administrations headed from one side to the ot William Henry Draper* and Speechmaker Sherwood*. In these posts Macdonald proved himself an able famous even a reformist administrator, however his chief political initiative was devising and advocating the Doctrine Endowment Bill for Upper Canada in It did not fall short, but it reflected both emperor conservatism and his pragmatism. Fit into place an attempt to steer graceful middle course between the emend policy of a single state-supported, nonsectarian university and tory construction for a revived and strengthen Anglican King’s College in Toronto, he proposed to divide distinction university endowment among the immediate denominational colleges but to net King’s College the largest intonation. In he resigned with primacy government to make way make