John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald ( 10 or 11 January 1815 – 6 June 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 until his death in 1891. He was the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, and had a political career that spanned almost half a century.Macdonald was born in Scotland; when he was a boy his family immigrated to Kingston in the Province 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 Province of Canada. By 1857, he 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 establishment 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 has served longer. In his first term, Macdonald established the North-West Mounted Police and expanded Canada by annexing the North-Western Territory, Rupert's Land, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island. In 1873, he resigned from office over a scandal in which his party took bribes from businessmen seeking the contract to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. However, he was re-elected in 1878. Macdonald's greatest achievements were building and guiding a successful national government for the new Dominion, using patronage to forge a strong Conservative Party, promoting the protective tariff of the National Policy, and completing the railway. He fought to block provincial efforts to take power back from the national government in Ottawa. He approved the execution of Métis leader Louis Riel for treason in 1885 which alienated many francophones from his Conservative Party. He continued as prime minister until his death in 1891. He remains the oldest prime minister in Canadian history.
In the 21st century, Macdonald has come under criticism for his role in the Chinese Head Tax and federal policies towards Indigenous peoples, including his actions during the North-West Rebellion that resulted in Riel's execution, and the development of the residential school system designed to assimilate Indigenous children. Macdonald, however, remains respected for his key role in the formation of Canada. Historical rankings in surveys of experts in Canadian political history have consistently placed Macdonald as one of the highest-rated prime ministers in Canadian history. Provided by Wikipedia
-
1041by Richardson, David S., Cloke, Hannah L., Methven, John A., Pappenberger, FlorianGet access
Published in Weather and Forecasting (2024)
Get access
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1042by Matthews, John A., Shakesby, Richard A., Schnabel, Christoph, Freeman, StewartGet access
Published in The Holocene (2008)
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1043by Nesje, Atle, Olaf Dahl, Svein, Andersson, Carin, Matthews, John AGet access
Published in Quaternary Science Reviews (2000)
Get access
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1044by Thompson, Daniel P., Crouse, John A., Jaques, Scott, Barboza, Perry S.Get access
Published in Journal of Thermal Biology (2020)
Get access
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1045by Gamon, John A, Kershaw, G Peter, Williamson, Scott, Hik, David SGet access
Published in Environmental Research Letters (2012)
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1046
-
1047by McLaurin, Graham, Shin, Kyuchul, Alavi, Saman, Ripmeester, John A.Get access
Published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2014)
Get access
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1048by LEROUX, SHAWN J., SCHMIEGELOW, FIONA K.A., NAGY, JOHN A.Get access
Published in Conservation Biology (2007)
Get access
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1049
-
1050by McLaurin, Graham, Shin, Kyuchul, Alavi, Saman, Ripmeester, John A.Get access
Published in Angewandte Chemie (2014)
Get access
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1051by Rhodes, John A, Baños, Hector, Mitchell, Jonathan D, Allman, Elizabeth SGet access
Published in Bioinformatics (2020)
Get access
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1052
-
1053by Church, John A., Monselesan, Didier, Gregory, Jonathan M., Marzeion, BenGet access
Published in Environmental Research Letters (2013)
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1054by LOFROTH, ERIC C., KLAFKI, RICHARD, KREBS, JOHN A., LEWIS, DAVEGet access
Published in The Journal of Wildlife Management (2008)
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1055by Širović, Ana, Hildebrand, John A., Wiggins, Sean M., Thiele, DeborahGet access
Published in Marine Mammal Science (2009)
Get access
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1056
-
1057by Findlay, John A., Daljeet, Anand, Matsoukas, John, Moharir, Y. E.Get access
Published in Journal of Natural Products (1984)
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1058
-
1059by Mathieson, David, Mawson, Ruth, Simpson, Andrew J., Talent, John A.Get access
Published in Bulletin of Geosciences (2016)
Get access
Get access
Article in Journal/Newspaper -
1060