Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield (20 November 1782 – 23 February 1835) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He was the fourth son of Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield and Janet Macdonell of Aberchalder (a sister of John Macdonell of Aberchalder and

Sir Hugh MacDonell of Aberchalder ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

). He was also the cousin and brother-in-law of

Miles MacDonell Miles MacDonell ( – 28 June 1828) was the first governor of the Red River Colony (or, Assiniboia), a 19th-century Scottish settlement located in present-day Manitoba and North Dakota. Miles Macdonell Collegiate, opened in 1952, in Winnipeg, ...

, the first governor of the

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, Assinboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hud ...

. Alexander worked as a fur trader and became a partner of the

North West Company The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...

becoming very interested in the rights of the

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

(so called "Half Breeds") with whom he worked as well as having 4 métis children. He was the first to refer to the Métis as becoming a nation when he wrote to Duncan Cameron that “The New Nation under their leaders are coming forward to clear their native soil of intruders and assassins”. Additionally Alexander played a role in the development of Métis identity by "giving them shape and direction". Alongside Cameron he was also instrumental in

Cuthbert Grant Cuthbert James Grant (1793 – July 15, 1854) was a prominent Métis people (Canada), Métis leader of the early 19th century. His father was also called Cuthbert Grant. Life Cuthbert James Grant was born in 1793 at Fort Tremblant, a North We ...

initially being appointed as one of the "captains of the Métis", and eventually “Captain-General of all the Half-Breeds.” According to writer George Woodcock, prior to 1814 there was nothing to suggest that Grant saw the Métis as a nation, or gave any thought to their cause, or even identified himself with them. During the

Pemmican War The Pemmican War was a series of armed confrontations during the North American fur trade between the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and the North West Company (NWC) in the years following the establishment of the Red River Colony in 1812 by Lord ...

Alexander dispatched Cuthbert Grant and 25 Métis to plunder the Hudson's Bay Company's

Brandon House Brandon House was a Hudson's Bay Company post or posts from 1793 to 1824. It was located at several places on the Assiniboine River between Brandon, Manitoba and the mouth of the Souris River about 21 miles southeast of Brandon. Because of its lo ...

. It is a common story that Macdonell gave the

Métis flag The Métis flag was first used by Métis resistance fighters in Rupert's Land before the 1816 Battle of Seven Oaks. According to only one contemporary account, the flag was "said to be" a gift from the North West Company in 1815, but no other sur ...

to the Métis in 1815. However, this is based on a reading of one account, provided by James Sutherland, in which he stated “it is said” that the North West Company gave the Métis peoples the

as a gift for their actions against the

in Spring 1815, but made no mention of Macdonell as the source of the flag. However, there is no corroborating evidence for this rumour, and it is potentially contradicted by contemporary eyewitness accounts from Colin Robertson, Lieutenant General Sir

John Coape Sherbrooke General Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, (29 April 1764 – 14 February 1830) was a British soldier and colonial administrator. After serving in the British army in Nova Scotia, the Netherlands, India, the Mediterranean (including Sicily), and Spa ...

, and Macdonell himself that do not describe a flag being given among the gifts given to the Métis by the North West Company before the flag was first recorded by Sutherland as being flown in October 1815. All other historical contemporary accounts of the flag do not include details of where the flag originated. Moreover, Métis oral tradition tells that the Métis developed the infinity flag for themselves, and called the flag ''Li Paviiyoon di Michif'' in the

Michif Michif (also Mitchif, Mechif, Michif-Cree, Métif, Métchif, French Cree) is one of the languages of the Métis people of Canada and the United States, who are the descendants of First Nations (mainly Cree, Nakota Nakota (or Nakoda or Nakona) ...

language. In 1819 a book titled ''A Narrative of the Transactions in the Red River Country from the commencement of the operations of the Earl of Selkirk till the summer of 1816'' was published in

London, United Kingdom London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

under his name. In 1821, following the forced merger of the North West Company with the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

, Alexander returned to

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

, becoming a political figure. He served in the

8th Parliament of Upper Canada The 8th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 31 January 1821. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1820. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada and sat in the second Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada. This parliament wa ...

and

9th Parliament of Upper Canada The 9th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 11 January 1825. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1824. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada. This parliament was dissolved 24 June 1828. The House of Assembly of the 9t ...

in the riding of

Glengarry The Glengarry bonnet is a traditional Scots cap made of thick-milled woollen material, decorated with a toorie on top, frequently a rosette cockade on the left side, and ribbons hanging behind. It is normally worn as part of Scottish military ...

and in the 12th Parliament in the riding of Prescott. Another Alexander Macdonell also served in the riding of Glengarry during several parliaments, including the 6th Parliament; he succeeded Alexander MacDonell of Greenfield's brother, John MacDonell. In 1822 Alexander became the

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of the

Ottawa District The Ottawa District was a historic district in Upper Canada which existed until 1849. It was created in 1816 by splitting the counties of Prescott and Russell from the Eastern District. The district town was L'Orignal. In 1838 Gloucester towns ...

, a position he held until his death in 1835. Through his daughter Margaret he is a great-great-grandfather of Métis Elder

George R. D. Goulet George Richard Donald Goulet is a Canadians, Canadian Métis people (Canada), Métis role model, best-selling author, historian, Métis Scholar, activist, public speaker, retired lawyer, prostate cancer survivor and recipient of the Queen Elizabet ...

References

External links

“Manitoba Historical Society”"Lords of the North""A Narrative of the Transactions in the Red River Country from the commencement of the operations of the Earl of Selkirk till the summer of 1816"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonell, Alexander Alexander Macdonell 1782 births 1835 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada Canadian fur traders Scottish emigrants to Canada North West Company people People from Cornwall, Ontario