Donald Alexander Macdonald (February 17, 1817 – June 10, 1896) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician. Born in 1817 in St. Raphael's, Upper Canada, Donald Alexander Macdonald studied at

St Raphael's College ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

under the first Catholic Bishop of Ontario, Alexander Macdonell. He became a railway contractor and was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1857 to 1867. He was the

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 ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

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 ...

in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1875, and served as

Postmaster General of Canada {{Short description, Former Canadian cabinet minister The Postmaster General of Canada was the Canadian cabinet minister responsible for the Post Office Department (Canada Post). In 1851, management of the post office was transferred from Britain ...

. In 1875 Macdonald was appointed the fourth

Lieutenant Governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the viceregal representative in Ontario of the , who operates distinctly within the province bu ...

and held that post until 1880. He died in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

in 1896. He was the brother of John Sandfield Macdonald, the first Premier of

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, and Alexander Francis Macdonald, the MP for

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

from 1874 to 1878.

Family

Hon. Donald Alexander Macdonald, P.C., and Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, 1875–80, married Catherine Fraser, daughter of Colonel the Hon. Alexander Fraser, M.L.C. of Fraserfield. The couple`s daughter Margaret was born at Alexandria, Ont., and educated in Montreal. She married, at

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

September 16, 1875,

William Hales Hingston Sir William Hales Hingston (29 June 1829 – 19 February 1907) was a Canadian physician, politician, banker, and Senator. Biography Born in Hinchinbrooke near Huntingdon, Quebec, he received his MDCM from McGill University in 1851. ...

, M.D., F.R.C.S. (Lond.), who, was appointed a Commander of the Roman Order of St. Gregory (1875), was knighted by Queen Victoria in 1895, and was called to the Senate of Canada in 1896.

External links

Donald Alexander Macdonald fonds
Archives of Ontario

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Donald Alexander 1817 births 1896 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Ontario Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Canadian people of Scottish descent MacDonald, Alexander