Alexander MacKay (April 3, 1818 – February 16, 1882) was a merchant, farmer and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Canada. He represented Pictou County in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

from 1862 to 1867 and from 1872 to 1882 as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

member. He was born in West River, Nova Scotia, the son of John MacKay, a Scottish immigrant. He was educated at

Pictou Pictou ( ; Canadian Gaelic: ''Baile Phiogto'') is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the larger town of New Gla ...

. MacKay first worked as a stone-cutter and builder. He was named a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1853. MacKay supported

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

and was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1867. He was elected again in an 1872 by-election held after James McDonald was elected to the House of Commons. MacKay was an elder of the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

. In 1851, he married Margaret Mackay. MacKay was elected to the council for

Pictou County Pictou County is a county in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 43,657 people in 2021, a decline of 0.2 percent from 2016. Furthermo ...

in 1879.''The Canadian parliamentary companion and annual register, 1882''
CH Mackintosh His son

Neil Franklin Cornelius "Neil" Franklin (24 January 1922 – 9 February 1996) was an English footballer who played for Crewe Alexandra, Hull City, Stockport County and Stoke City as well as the England national team. Career Stoke City Franklin was ...

later served in the legislative assembly for British Columbia.

References

''The Canadian biographical dictionary and portrait gallery of eminent and self-made men ...'' (1881)
1818 births Year of death missing Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia MLAs People from Pictou County Elders of the Church of Scotland Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian justices of the peace {{NovaScotia-MLA-stub