Alexander MacKay was a merchant, farmer and political figure in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, Canada. He represented Pictou County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly

Nova Scotia House of Assembly

The Nova Scotia Legislature, consisting of Her Majesty The Queen represented by the Lieutenant Governor and the House of Assembly, is the legislative branch of the provincial government of Nova Scotia, Canada...

 from 1862 to 1867 and from 1872 to 1882 as a Conservative member.

He was born in West River, Nova Scotia

West River, Nova Scotia

West River is a community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Pictou County .-References:*...

, the son of John MacKay, a Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 immigrant. He was educated at Pictou

Pictou, Nova Scotia

Pictou is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km north of the larger town of New Glasgow....

. MacKay first worked as a stone-cutter and builder. He was named a justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 in 1853. MacKay supported Confederation

Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...

 and was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1867. He was elected again in an 1872 by-election held after James McDonald was elected to the House of Commons. MacKay was an elder of the Church of Scotland

Church of Scotland

The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....

. In 1851, he married Margaret Mackay. MacKay was elected to the council for Pictou County

Pictou County, Nova Scotia

Pictou County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 46,513 people in 2006, which represents a decline of 6.3 percent from 1991. It is the sixth most populous county in Nova...

 in 1879.

His son Neil Franklin

Neil Franklin MacKay

Neil Franklin MacKay was a lawyer and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Kaslo from 1907 to 1916 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a Conservative....

later served in the legislative assembly for British Columbia.