John McDonell (1780 – October 1, 1846), also spelled McDonnell, was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

–

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

judge and politician active in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, he helped pay the ransom of a number of prisoners held by Native Americans following the

River Raisin Massacre The Battles of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin and the River Raisin Massacre, were a series of conflicts in Michigan Territory that took place from January 18–23, 1813, during the War of 1812. It was fought between the ...

. He served in the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

in the early years of its existence.

Biography

John McDonell was born in Scotland in 1780.McDonell cites 1780 as his birth year in ; other sources, e.g., , list it as 1779. His father was a supporter of the Stuart claim to the

British throne The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...

, which made him unpopular with the government and prompted him to move his family to the United States in 1785. The family landed at

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, then moved to

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, where his father became a citizen and McDonell received his education. After a fire destroyed his father's business, McDonell was sent in 1798 to work as a clerk in his uncle's mercantile house in York, Canada. He started his own business in 1807, and moved to Detroit in 1809, though he retained property in Canada. He was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1810.

War of 1812

During the

, McDonell raised a cavalry company on Canadian soil to fight on behalf of the Americans. Following the

, he paid the ransom of many prisoners that were brought to Detroit by their Native American captors. Among those whose freedom he purchased was a future congressman, Gustavus Bower. In 1815, after the war, McDonell traveled to

Sandwich, Ontario Old Sandwich Town (Olde Sandwich Towne) is located along the Canada–United States border, Canada–US border of the Detroit River, and was established in 1797.Windsor Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (WACAC). ''Historic Sandwich Town ...

, (now Windsor) on business, and was arrested and imprisoned on charges of high treason against the British Government, for his actions on behalf of America during the war. He managed to escape, but a grand jury indicted him on the charges, and after he failed to appear for trial, he was declared an outlaw. Although the intercession of the American ambassador to Great Britain eventually led to the outlawry judgment being dropped in 1826, he had lost all of his property and outstanding business debts owed to him in Canada. He petitioned the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

for compensation for these losses in 1834.

Political career

McDonell was appointed an associate judge in the county court in Wayne County on January 17, 1817, and served as chief justice of the court from January 13, 1830, until the court was abolished on April 15, 1833, when its business was transferred to the circuit courts. He was also appointed by the territorial governor to serve as an

auctioneer An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

in Detroit from 1817 to 1818. McDonell was one of Wayne County's representatives on the

Michigan Territorial Council The Michigan Territorial Council, known formally as the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan, was the legislative body of the Territory of Michigan from 1824 to 1835, when it was succeeded by the Michigan Legislature in anticipation o ...

from 1828 through 1835, and served as its president of the council in 1834. He was a delegate to the convention charged with drafting a state constitution in advance of Michigan's application for statehood, and also to the first Convention of Assent called to determine whether Michigan would accept the terms proposed by Congress for Michigan's statehood—taking the western part of the Upper Peninsula in exchange for a strip of land that had been the subject of the

Toledo War The Toledo War (1835–36), also known as the Michigan–Ohio War or the Ohio–Michigan War, was an almost bloodless boundary dispute between the U.S. state of Ohio and the adjoining territory of Michigan over what is now known as the Toledo S ...

with

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. After the convention rejected the proposal, people requested that Governor

Stevens T. Mason Stevens Thomson Mason (October 27, 1811 – January 4, 1843) was an American politician who served as the first governor of Michigan from 1835 to 1840. Coming to political prominence at an early age, Mason was appointed his territory's ...

call a second convention to reconsider; he refused, but declared that the people themselves could call for such a convention. McDonell was one of several Wayne County residents who signed a statement calling for such a convention, which eventually approved the proposal and removed the last obstacle to Michigan's statehood. Following the adoption of the state constitution and the creation of the

Michigan Legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ...

, McDonell represented Wayne County as the senator from the 1st District in the

from 1835 until his resignation on March 23, 1838. He also served as an alderman of the city of Detroit in 1837. From 1839 to 1841 he was the customs collector in Detroit. He served as a regent of the University of Michigan from 1835 to 1837. McDonell died on October 1, 1846.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonell, John 1780 births 1846 deaths Scottish emigrants to the United States Detroit City Council members Members of the Michigan Territorial Legislature Michigan state senators Regents of the University of Michigan Delegates to the 1835 Michigan Constitutional Convention People with acquired American citizenship 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges