John Alexander Macdonald
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The Right Honourable Sir John A. Macdonald GCB KCMG PC PCc QC |
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|---|---|
 |
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| 1st Prime Minister of Canada | |
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In office July 1, 1867 – November 5, 1873 |
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| 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 |
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In office October 17, 1878 – June 6, 1891 |
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| 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 |
| 9th Premier of Canada West | |
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In office May 24, 1856 – August 2, 1858 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | Allan MacNab |
| Succeeded by | George Brown |
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In office August 6, 1858 – May 24, 1862 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | George Brown |
| Succeeded by | John Sandfield Macdonald |
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In office May 30, 1864 – June 30, 1867 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | John Sandfield Macdonald |
| Succeeded by | Office disestablished (see Canadian Confederation) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
John Alexander Macdonald January 11, 1815 Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Died | 6 June 1891 (aged 76) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Resting place | Cataraqui Cemetery, Kingston, Ontario |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Other political affiliations |
Upper Canada Tories (1843-1867) Liberal-Conservative (1867-1873) |
| Spouse(s) |
Isabella Clark (m. 1843; her death 1857) Agnes Bernard (m. 1867; his death 1891) |
| Children | 3 |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Nickname(s) | "Old Tomorrow" "The Old Chieftain" |
| Allegiance |
 Upper Canada
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| Service/branch | Loyalist militia |
| Years of service | 1837–1838 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | Kingston militia |
| Battles/wars | |
Sir John Alexander Macdonald GCB KCMG PC PCc QC (January 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada (1867–1873, 1878–1891). The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career which spanned almost half a century.
Macdonald was born in Scotland; when he was a boy his family immigrated to Kingston in the colony of Upper Canada (today in eastern Ontario). As a lawyer he was involved in several high-profile cases and quickly became prominent in Kingston, which elected him in 1844 to the legislature of the colonial United Province of Canada. By 1857, had become premier under the colony's unstable political system.
In 1864, when no party proved capable of governing for long, Macdonald agreed to a proposal from his political rival, George Brown, that the parties unite in a Great Coalition to seek federation and political reform. Macdonald was the leading figure in the subsequent discussions and conferences, which resulted in the British North America Act and the birth of Canada as a nation on 1 July 1867. Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of the new nation, and served 19 years; only William Lyon Mackenzie King served longer.
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