Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor
Encyclopedia
Gordon Macdonald, PC
, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor, (27 May 1888 – 20 January 1966) was a British
Labour Party
politician and Newfoundland
's final British governor as well as the last chairman of the Commission of Government
serving from 1946 until the colony joined Confederation
in 1949 and became a province
of Canada
.
, Flintshire
, North Wales
. His father, Thomas Macdonald, was Scottish
while his mother, Ellen, was Welsh
. The family moved to the Lancashire Coalfield
where he was brought up, his father working as a coalminer in a pit near Ashton in Makerfield. Educated in a local elementary school, he initially followed his father into the collieries aged 13. He subsequently won a scholarship to Ruskin College.
In 1920 he was elected to Wigan Board of Guardians
, in 1924 became president of a local co-operative society and in the same year a miner's agent for the Miners' Federation of Great Britain.
Macdonald was elected Member of Parliament
(MP) for Ince
, holding the seat until 1942. He was a junior Labour whip
from 1931 – 1934 and was chairman of committees in the House of Commons. He resigned from parliament in July 1942 to take up the post of Regional Controller for the Ministry of Fuel and Power for the Lancashire, Cheshire, and North Wales Region.
that governed the dominion
. At the same time he was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
. He oversaw the election of the Newfoundland National Convention
in 1946, and the holding of two referendums
in 1948, which led to Newfoundland becoming a province of Canada
in March 1949.
Macdonald was viewed as being pro-federation and was accused of bias by Peter Cashin
and supporters of responsible government
and of manipulating the referendums.
Macdonald left the island upon its entry to Canada in 1949. Two days after his departure, an apparently congratulatory poem was published in The Evening Telegram
. It emerged that the poem was an acrostic
, with the first words of each line spelling out "THE BASTARD".
, elevated to the House of Lords
as Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor
. In 1950 he was leader of the British delegation to the Commonwealth Conference on Economic Aid to Countries of South East Asia held in Sydney, Australia and was a delegate to United Nations General Assembly
at Lake Success, New York
. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor
in 1951. He held office until Labour lost power at the 1951 general election
.
A fluent Welsh
speaker, from 1952 – 1960 he was National Governor for Wales
of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and from 1953 until his death was chairman of the Broadcasting Council for Wales
. From 1952 – 1959 he was a member of the Colonial Development Corporation
.
A Congregationalist
in religion, he was National President of the Band of Hope Union of Great Britain
in 1951. He held two honorary doctorates in law from Mount Allison University
, Sackville, New Brunswick
and the University of Wales
.
. The couple had two sons and one daughter.
He died in January 1966, aged 77. His eldest son, Gordon Ramsay Macdonald, succeeded him in the barony.
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor, (27 May 1888 – 20 January 1966) was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician and Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
's final British governor as well as the last chairman of the Commission of Government
Commission of Government
The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949...
serving from 1946 until the colony joined 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...
in 1949 and became a province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
of 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...
.
Early life
Macdonald was born in Gwaenysgor, near PrestatynPrestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, Flintshire
Flintshire (historic)
Flintshire , also known as the County of Flint, is one of thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which mostly lies on the north east coast of Wales....
, North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. His father, Thomas Macdonald, was Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
while his mother, Ellen, was Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
. The family moved to the Lancashire Coalfield
Lancashire Coalfield
The Lancashire Coalfield in north-west England was one of the most important British coalfields.-Geography and geology:The geology of the coalfield consists of the coal seams of the Upper, Middle and Lower Coal Measures, layers of sandstones, shales and coal of varying thickness, which were laid...
where he was brought up, his father working as a coalminer in a pit near Ashton in Makerfield. Educated in a local elementary school, he initially followed his father into the collieries aged 13. He subsequently won a scholarship to Ruskin College.
In 1920 he was elected to Wigan Board of Guardians
Board of Guardians
Boards of guardians were ad hoc authorities that administered Poor Law in the United Kingdom from 1835 to 1930.-England and Wales:The boards were created by the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, replacing the parish Overseers of the Poor established under the old poor law, following the recommendations...
, in 1924 became president of a local co-operative society and in the same year a miner's agent for the Miners' Federation of Great Britain.
Member of parliament
At the 1929 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
Macdonald was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Ince
Ince (UK Parliament constituency)
Ince was a parliamentary constituency in England which elected one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It comprised the town of Ince-in-Makerfield and other towns south of Wigan....
, holding the seat until 1942. He was a junior Labour whip
Labour Chief Whip
This is a list of those people who have served as Chief Whip of the Labour Party in the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-House of Commons:*1906: David Shackleton*1906: Arthur Henderson*1907: George Roberts*1914: Arthur Henderson*1914: Frank Goldstone...
from 1931 – 1934 and was chairman of committees in the House of Commons. He resigned from parliament in July 1942 to take up the post of Regional Controller for the Ministry of Fuel and Power for the Lancashire, Cheshire, and North Wales Region.
Governor of Newfoundland
In January 1946 he was appointed Governor of Newfoundland and Commander in Chief of Newfoundland and its Dependencies, and chairman of the unelected Commission of GovernmentCommission of Government
The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949...
that governed the dominion
Dominion
A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
. At the same time he was created Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
. He oversaw the election of the Newfoundland National Convention
Newfoundland National Convention
The Newfoundland National Convention of 1946 was a forum established to decide the constitutional future of Newfoundland-Nominations:On 11 December 1945 the Government of Britain announced that there would be an election to a National Convention, which would debate constitutional options and make a...
in 1946, and the holding of two referendums
Newfoundland referendums, 1948
The Newfoundland Referendums of 1948 were a series of two referendums to decide the political future of the Dominion of Newfoundland. Before the referendums, Newfoundland was in debt and went through several delegations to determine whether the country would join Canada, remain under British rule...
in 1948, which led to Newfoundland becoming a province of 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...
in March 1949.
Macdonald was viewed as being pro-federation and was accused of bias by Peter Cashin
Peter John Cashin
Major Peter John Cashin was a businessman, soldier and politician in Newfoundland and Labrador.-Early life:Cashin, a son of Sir Michael Cashin, joined the Newfoundland Regiment during World War I and ultimately served in command of the British Machine Gun Corp...
and supporters of responsible government
Responsible Government League
The Responsible Government League was a political movement in the Dominion of Newfoundland.The Responsible Government League of Newfoundland, led by Peter Cashin, was formed in February 1947 by anti-Confederation delegates to the Newfoundland National Convention on the future of the colony...
and of manipulating the referendums.
Macdonald left the island upon its entry to Canada in 1949. Two days after his departure, an apparently congratulatory poem was published in The Evening Telegram
The Telegram
The Telegram is a daily newspaper published in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:The Evening Telegram was first published on April 3, 1879 by William James Herder. It adopted its current name in 1998, although it was also briefly published under this name in 1881...
. It emerged that the poem was an acrostic
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
, with the first words of each line spelling out "THE BASTARD".
Paymaster-General
On return to the United Kingdom in 1949, Macdonald joined the government of Clement Attlee as Paymaster-GeneralPaymaster-General
HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the United Kingdom. The Paymaster General is in charge of the Office of HM Paymaster General , which held accounts at the Bank of England on behalf of Government departments and selected other public bodies...
, elevated to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor
Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor
Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor, of Gwaenysgor in the County of Flint, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1949 for Sir Gordon Macdonald, the last British governor of Newfoundland...
. In 1950 he was leader of the British delegation to the Commonwealth Conference on Economic Aid to Countries of South East Asia held in Sydney, Australia and was a delegate to United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
at Lake Success, New York
Lake Success, New York
Lake Success is a village in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 2,934 at the 2010 census.Lake Success is in the Town of North Hempstead on northwest Long Island. Lake Success was the temporary home of the United Nations from 1946 to 1951, occupying the headquarters of...
. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1951. He held office until Labour lost power at the 1951 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
.
Later life
Macdonald continued to be active in public life.A fluent Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
speaker, from 1952 – 1960 he was National Governor for Wales
Board of Governors of the BBC
The Board of Governors of the BBC was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation. It consisted of twelve people who together regulated the BBC and represented the interests of the public. It existed from 1927 until it was replaced by the BBC Trust on 1 January 2007.The governors...
of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and from 1953 until his death was chairman of the Broadcasting Council for Wales
Audience Council Wales
The Audience Council Wales was created upon establishment of the BBC Trust in January 2007. It replaced the Broadcasting Council for Wales which had many responsibilities the present council now has. ACW plays a key role helping the BBC Trust understand the needs, interests and concerns of audiences...
. From 1952 – 1959 he was a member of the Colonial Development Corporation
Commonwealth Development Corporation
The Commonwealth Development Corporation, now known as CDC Group plc, is a British development organisation owned by the UK Government...
.
A Congregationalist
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
in religion, he was National President of the Band of Hope Union of Great Britain
Hope UK
Hope UK is a national Christian charity located at 25 Copperfield Street, London, England which educates children and young people about drug and alcohol abuse.-Band of Hope:...
in 1951. He held two honorary doctorates in law from Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University is a primarily undergraduate Canadian liberal arts and science university situated in Sackville, New Brunswick. It is located about a half hour from the regional city of Moncton and 20 minutes from the Greater Moncton International Airport...
, Sackville, New Brunswick
Sackville, New Brunswick
Sackville is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Mount Allison University is located in the town...
and the University of Wales
University of Wales
The University of Wales was a confederal university founded in 1893. It had accredited institutions throughout Wales, and formerly accredited courses in Britain and abroad, with over 100,000 students, but in October 2011, after a number of scandals, it withdrew all accreditation, and it was...
.
Family
In 1913 he married Mary Lewis of Blaenau FfestiniogBlaenau Ffestiniog
Blaenau Ffestiniog is a town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It has a population of 5,000, including Llan Ffestiniog, which makes it the third largest town in Gwynedd, behind Caernarfon & Porthmadog. Although the population reached 12,000 at the peak of the slate industry, the population fell due to...
. The couple had two sons and one daughter.
He died in January 1966, aged 77. His eldest son, Gordon Ramsay Macdonald, succeeded him in the barony.