Charles M. McDonald (1867 – October 6, 1936) was a Canadian politician who served in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

and in the Parliament of Canada. He has the distinction of having served in both the House of Commons of Canada and the Senate of Canada for less than a year. McDonald was a pharmacist by profession. He was born in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

and immigrated to Canada. By the time of the 1901 census he was living in

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because ...

with his wife. He first attracted public attention in 1918 when he assisted in the capture of two bandits sought for the slaying of a law enforcement officer."Senator C. M'Donald Dies in Vancouver", ''Toronto Daily Star'', October 7, 1936 He was first elected to the Saskatchewan legislature as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

MLA in the 1917 provincial election representing the provincial constituency of Prince Albert and was re-elected in the 1921 provincial election by

acclamation An acclamation is a form of election that does not use a ballot. It derives from the ancient Roman word ''acclamatio'', a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval towards imperial officials in certain social contexts. Voting Voice vot ...

. After two terms in the Saskatchewan legislature, McDonald switched to federal politics and contested the federal riding of Prince Albert in the 1925 federal election and was elected with more than 50% of the vote defeating both incumbent Progressive MP Andrew Knox and

John Diefenbaker John George Diefenbaker ( ; September 18, 1895 – August 16, 1979) was the 13th prime minister of Canada, serving from 1957 to 1963. He was the only Progressive Conservative party leader between 1930 and 1979 to lead the party to an electi ...

, the

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 in ...

candidate and future prime minister. The federal Liberals were re-elected with a minority government. Despite having fewer seats than the Conservatives they were able to stay in power with the support of Progressive and independent MPs. However, Prime Minister

William Lyon Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who served as the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A L ...

was personally defeated in his riding of

York North York North was a federal riding in Ontario, Canada, that was in the House of Commons of Canada from Confederation in 1867 until 2004. The federal riding was eliminated in 2003 when it was redistributed between two new ridings of Newmarket—A ...

and needed to find a new constituency. On January 15, 1926, McDonald agreed to resign his seat immediately after his election so that Mackenzie King could contest it in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

which was held a month later. McDonald returned to his pharmacy and eventually moved to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. In December 1935, Prime Minister Mackenzie King, who had just been returned to government after five years of Tory rule, appointed McDonald to the Canadian Senate as a representative for British Columbia. However, McDonald's tenure was short lived as he died in office less than a year later. His combined service in both the House of Commons and the Senate is 361 days.Parliamentary biography
/ref> McDonald died in Vancouver after a nine-month illness.

Electoral record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald, Charles 1867 births 1936 deaths Saskatchewan Liberal Party MLAs Canadian senators from British Columbia Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Saskatchewan Liberal Party of Canada MPs