Dalton McCarthy (October 10, 1836 – May 11, 1898), or D'Alton McCarthy, 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 ...

lawyer and parliamentarian. He was the leader of the "Orange" or Protestant Irish, and fiercely fought against Irish Catholics as well as the French Catholics. He especially crusaded for the abolition of the French language in Manitoba and Ontario schools. McCarthy was first elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1878 federal election 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 in ...

. An

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, McCarthy was stridently anti-

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and anti- French Canadian. He broke with the Conservatives in the 1890s, running and being re-elected as an Independent

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 ...

(MP) in the 1891 election. He appears to have been associated with the Equal Rights Party which ran in that election but did not run as their candidate. It was his firm, Boulton & McCarthy in Barrie, that was the first incarnation of what is now Canada's largest law firm,

McCarthy Tétrault McCarthy Tétrault LLP is a leading Canadian law firm that delivers integrated business law, litigation services, tax law, real property law, labour and employment law nationally and globally through offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Mon ...

. He appeared in the Supreme Court of Canada in the significant constitutional case of Citizens Insurance Co of Canada v Parsons, arguing successfully on behalf of two individuals claiming compensation under fire insurance policies.''Citizens' and The Queen Ins. Cos. v. Parsons; Western Ins. Co. v. Johnston'' (1880), 4 SCR 215.
/ref> The case helped establish the scope of provincial jurisdiction in contract matters. He also defended

Emily Stowe Emily Howard Stowe (née Jennings, May 1, 1831 – April 30, 1903) was a Canadian physician who was the first female physician to practise in Canada, the second licensed female physician in Canada and an activist for women's rights and suff ...

in the 1879 abortion trial of Emily Stowe. McCarthy was a founder of the " Imperial Federation League", which proposed uniting the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the emerging dominions under a central Cabinet government responsible to an Imperial Parliament elected from throughout the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

. McCarthy ran his own slate of McCarthyite candidates in the 1896 election, but was the only one elected. Following the 1896 election, McCarthy forged an alliance with

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He would likely have been appointed to cabinet in 1898 had he not died following a carriage accident. McCarthy was a key figure in the

Manitoba Schools Question The Manitoba Schools Question () was a political crisis in the Canadian province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, attacking publicly-funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants. The crisis was precipitated by a se ...

, and a major proponent in pushing English only in legislatures, courts, and schools of Western Canada.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Dalton 1836 births 1898 deaths Lawyers in Ontario Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Independent MPs in the Canadian House of Commons Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Manitoba Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario People from Blackrock, Dublin Politicians from Simcoe County Pre-Confederation Ontario people Accidental deaths in Ontario Canadian Protestants

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