Alexander Macdonald (September 13, 1867 – December 20, 1935) was a Canadian-American politician and conservationist.
Life
Macdonald was born on September 13, 1867, in Blue's Mills,
Inverness County, Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Alexander Macdonald and Katherine Macaulay.
In 1877, Macdonald immigrated to America and lived with an uncle in
Boston, Massachusetts.
He studied at
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...
and
Monson Academy __NOTOC__
Monson may refer to:
People
* Monson (surname)
* Baron Monson
* Monson baronets
Places United States
* Monson, California
* Monson, Maine
* Monson, Massachusetts
** Monson High School
* Monson Township, Traverse County, Minnesota
* Monso ...
. In 1888, he began attending
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...
, where he was a member of the
Chi Psi fraternity. He graduated with a
B.A. in 1892, and received an
M.A. in 1899.
After he graduated, he moved to
St. Regis Falls, New York and became principal of the high school. Shortly after he was naturalized, he was elected school commissioner for the second commissioner district. He held the office continuously for nine years. He was also cashier and manager of the St. Regis Falls National Bank,
and was active in lumbering and manufacturing wood products.
In 1908, Macdonald was Chairman of the Republican County Committee of Franklin County. In 1909, he was elected to the
New York State Assembly
The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits.
The Assem ...
as a
Republican, representing
Franklin County. He served in the Assembly in
1910
Events
January
* January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
,
1911
A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole.
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...
,
1912
Events January
* January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established.
* January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens.
* January 6 ...
,
1913
Events January
* January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...
,
1914
This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
, and
1915
Events
Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix.
January
* January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction".
*January 1 ...
. While in the Assembly, he served as member and chairman of the Conservation and Ways and Means Committees, and became knowledgeable and interested in the subject of conservation. He then served as Deputy Conservation Commissioner under
George D. Pratt. In 1922, he was appointed
Conservation Commissioner. He became very active in reforestation in the state. He was reappointed to the office by Governor
Alfred E. Smith
Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928.
The son of an Irish-American mother and a Civ ...
, a close personal friend, and Governor
Franklin D. Roosevelt. He resigned in the end of 1930. He was also a trustee of the
New York State College of Forestry.
Macdonald was a member of the
New York State Agricultural Society, the
Freemasons
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
, the
Elks, the
Royal Arch Masonry, the
Knights Templar
, colors = White mantle with a red cross
, colors_label = Attire
, march =
, mascot = Two knights riding a single horse
, equipment ...
, and the
Shriners. He was also District Deputy Grand Master of the
Odd Fellows. In 1900, he married Edith O'Neil, daughter of
William T. O'Neil.
Macdonald died in
Albany Hospital on December 20, 1935. He fell ill due to a fall and was taken to the hospital a few days beforehand.
He was buried in Nova Scotia.
References
External links
*
The Political Graveyard'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Alexander
1867 births
1935 deaths
People from Inverness County, Nova Scotia
Canadian emigrants to the United States
Boston Latin School alumni
Wilbraham & Monson Academy alumni
Middlebury College alumni
People from Franklin County, New York
American school principals
20th-century American politicians
Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly
American conservationists
American Freemasons
Burials in Canada