John Sandfield Macdonald
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| John Sandfield Macdonald | |
 The Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald |
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| In office July 15, 1867 – December 20, 1871 |
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| Preceded by | None |
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| Succeeded by | Edward Blake |
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| Born | December 12, 1812 St Raphael West, Glengarry County, Upper Canada |
| Died | June 01, 1872 (aged 59) Cornwall, Ontario |
| Political party | Ontario PC Party |
| Spouse | Marie Christine Waggaman |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
John Sandfield Macdonald, QC (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the first Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario after the province was created as a result of the confederation of Canada in 1867. He served as both premier and Attorney-General of Ontario from July 15, 1867 to 1871.
A Reformer and advocate of responsible government, Macdonald served in all eight Assemblies of the United Province of Canada prior to Confederation. He also served in several pre-confederation administrations, including a period as co-premier of the United Province from 1862 to 1864. It was this time when Macdonald suffered a collapsed lung from chronic tuberculosis. [1]
Macdonald was initially an opponent of confederation, but came to accept it and became an ally of Sir John A. Macdonald. John A. Macdonald helped manoeuvre Sandfield Macdonald into the position of first Premier of Ontario.
His government was moderate and initially a coalition of liberals and conservatives (described in contemporary accounts as a "Patent Combination" government), but suffered from defections by more radical Reformers. This group joined with the Clear Grits to form the opposition Liberal Party led by Edward Blake and Oliver Mowat. In December 1871, Macdonald's government was defeated by Edward Blake's Liberals. Macdonald resigned, and died several months later.
Sandfield Macdonald was be the last Roman Catholic Premier of Ontario for 132 years; not until Dalton McGuinty became premier in 2003 would another Roman Catholic assume the office. After Macdonald's tenure, sectarian tensions in the province rose, and the Conservative Party increasingly became identified with the Orange Order and sectarian Protestantism. Even though most of the party's leaders were not sectarian themselves (with a few notable exceptions), Orange Ontarians became a core constituency of the party that leaders were loathe to neglect. Catholics, meanwhile, increasingly voted for the Liberal Party. While the Liberals could never be called a Catholic party, the Catholic vote became as important a constituency to the Liberals as the Orange vote became to the Conservatives.
Macdonald's brothers, Donald Alexander Macdonald and Alexander Francis Macdonald, were also politicians, and served as federal Members of Parliament. Donald, who served as an MP the longest of the three brothers, was in the House of Commons concurrently with both Sandfield and Alexander, although Sandfield and Alexander did not serve concurrently with each other.
[edit] External links
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Synopsis of federal political experience from the Library of Parliament
- John Sandfield Macdonald at Find a Grave
- Ontario Plaques - John Sandfield Macdonald
| Preceded by John A. Macdonald |
Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada - Canada West 1862-1864 |
Succeeded by John A. Macdonald |
| Preceded by New title - previously Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada Sir John Alexander Macdonald |
Premier of Ontario 1867-1871 |
Succeeded by Edward Blake |
| Preceded by None - previously Liberal-Conservative of Canada West - Sir John Alexander Macdonald |
Leaders of the Conservative Party of Ontario 1867-1871 |
Succeeded by Matthew Crooks Cameron |
| Preceded by None |
Member of Parliament for Cornwall 1867-1872 |
Succeeded by Darby Bergin |
| Preceded by None |
Member of the Provincial Parliament of Ontario for Cornwall 1867-1875 |
Succeeded by Alexander Fraser McIntyre - Conservative |
| Premiers of Ontario |  |
|---|---|
| Macdonald | Blake | Mowat | Hardy | Ross | Whitney | Hearst | Drury | Ferguson | Henry | Hepburn | Conant | Nixon | Drew | Kennedy | Frost | Robarts | Davis | Miller | Peterson | Rae | Harris | Eves | McGuinty |
| Leaders of the Ontario PC Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Macdonald | Cameron | Meredith | Marter | Whitney | Hearst | Ferguson | Henry | Rowe | Drew | Kennedy | Frost | Robarts | Davis | Miller | Grossman | Brandt | Harris | Eves | Tory | |||
Categories: 1812 births | 1872 deaths | Liberal Party of Canada MPs | Ontario premiers | Premiers of the Province of Canada | Roman Catholic politicians | Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada | Leaders of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party | Members of the Canadian House of Commons from Ontario | Attorneys-General of Ontario | Canadian lawyers | People from Cornwall, Ontario | Scottish Canadians
