SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD

Time as Canada's Prime Minister
1867 - 1873
1878 - 1891

Conservative

Cover of the book John A. Macdonald by Peter B. Waite.

© John Mardon
Source: Waite, Peter B. John A. Macdonald. Markham, Ont.: Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 1999.

Born: January 10 or 11, 1815 in Glasgow, Scotland, and emigrated to Canada in 1820

Died: June 6, 1891, Ottawa, Ontario, while still in office.
Grave site is at the Cataraqui Cemetery (near Kingston), Ontario

Education: Midland District Grammar School and John Cruickshank School, Kingston (Ontario)

Occupations
Lawyer (called to the Bar of Upper Canada in 1836)

Political Party
Liberal-Conservative (forerunner of Progressive Conservative Party)
1867 - 1891 Party Leader

Political Record
Joint Premier, Province of Canada, with Étienne-Paschal Taché 1856 - 1857, and with George-Étienne Cartier 1857 - 1858, 1858 - 1862
Co-leader, Great Coalition, with George-Étienne Cartier and George Brown, 1864 - 1865
Father of Confederation 1867
Creation of provinces of Manitoba 1870, British Columbia 1871, and Prince Edward Island 1873
Red River Rebellion 1870
Building of Canadian Pacific Railway 1871 - 1885
North West Mounted Police 1873
Pacific Scandal 1873
Leader of the Opposition 1873 - 1878
National Policy 1879
Northwest Rebellion 1885
Creation of the first national park at Banff, Alberta 1885

On a personal note:
Married 1843, Isabella Clark (1811 - 1856)
Two sons (one died in infancy)
Re-married 1867, Susan Agnes Bernard (1836 - 1920)
One daughter

Source: Canada's Prime Ministers, 1867-1994. [Ottawa]: National Archives of Canada, c1994. 20 p.

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