Gordon MacDonald was a provincial level politician from Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

.

MacDonald was first elected to the Alberta Legislature in the 1913 Alberta general election

Alberta general election, 1913

The Alberta general election of 1913 was the third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The writ was dropped on 25 March 1913 and election day was held 17 April 1913 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Elections in two northern districts took place on 30 July...

. He defeated Conservative candidate F.D. Armitage in a hotly contested election by just 11 votes to win his first term in office.
MacDonald enlisted in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and went to fight overseas while he was still a member of the Assembly. He was acclaimed to his seat in the 1917 Alberta general election

Alberta general election, 1917

The Alberta general election of 1917 was the fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada, held on 7 June 1917 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....

 under the Section 38 clause of the Elections Act that stipulates an incumbent member involved in active combat in World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 would be automatically returned without challenge in his district. MacDonald retired from provincial politics at the end of his term in 1921.

External links

• Alberta Legislature Membership Listing