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John A. Macdonald

by Tyler from Calgary

"I would be quite willing, personally, to leave that whole country a wilderness for the next half-century but I fear if Englishmen do not go there, Yankees will."
Sir John A. Macdonald (http://data2.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ap/c/c006513.jpg)
Sir John A. Macdonald (http://data2.collectionscanada.gc.ca/ap/c/c006513.jpg)

My hero is John Alexander Macdonald. John A. Macdonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland on January11, 1815. He had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. His father was Hugh Macdonald and his mother was Helen Shaw. In 1820 they moved to Canada in the hopes of a better life but bad luck soon followed his family. His brother was killed by a drunken servant and his father was not doing very well with his business. However his family managed to get enough money together to send John to a grammar school where he studied Latin, French and math. He then went to a formal school for one year.

The Canadian ten dollar bill (http://www.improvecredit.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/canadian_ten_dollar_bill.gif)
The Canadian ten dollar bill (http://www.improvecredit.ca/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/canadian_ten_dollar_bill.gif)

In 1836 John Macdonald became a lawyer and soon opened his own law firm. He got a good reputation fast for taking hard cases and for being a very skilful lawyer. John A. Macdonald started his political career as a councilor in 1843. "Four years later he moved to provincial politics where he was elected as the conservative party’s member for Kingston in 1847."
(http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/confederation/kids/h2-1575-e.html)

John A. Macdonald 2005 cartoon photo <br>(https://zone.artizans.com/images/previews/RPET596.300.jpg)
John A. Macdonald 2005 cartoon photo
(https://zone.artizans.com/images/previews/RPET596.300.jpg)

"As a member of the conservatives Macdonald managed to unite French and English politicians..." which "...allowed the new Liberal-Conservative party to form the government; after the leader...retired..." John A. Macdonald "...became the co-prime minister of...Canada."
(http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/confederation/kids/h2-1575-e.html)

John A. Macdonald did several things for Canada including building a railway from Quebec to British Columbia. This helped to unify Canada. Because of the hard work he put into the confederation of Canada is one of the reasons Macdonald became the first Prime Minister of Canada. John A. Macdonald died June 6, 1891, soon after winning his fourth election.

Page created on 4/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 4/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Related Links

Canadian Confederation - History of John A. Macdonald
AHW Canada History - History of John A. Macdonald
First Among Equals - History of John A. Macdonald
Confederation for kids - Short history of John a. Macdonald
The Quotes - Quote from John A. Macdonald