John Macdonald was a Canadian

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...

 merchant, churchman, philanthropist, and politician in the late 19th century in Toronto. He was a major patron of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA)

YMCA

The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

 and the Toronto General Hospital

Toronto General Hospital

The Toronto General Hospital , is a part of the University Health Network, and a major teaching hospital in downtown Toronto, Ontario. It is located in the Discovery District, directly north of the Hospital for Sick Children, across Gerrard Street West, and east of Princess Margaret Hospital and...

. In 1860, he built a mansion called Oaklands, which is now part of a private co-educational school.

Early life

Macdonald was born in Perth, Scotland

Perth, Scotland

Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...

 and came to Upper Canada

Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...

 in 1837 when his father's regiment was transferred there.

Business career

After a few years working for others, Macdonald opened his own retail dry goods business in Toronto in September 1849. By 1853 he had moved to wholesaling and by the 1870s was taking in $1 million in sales each year.

Political career

Macdonald represented West Toronto

West Toronto

West Toronto was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the City of Toronto, in the province of Ontario. The district was created by the British North America Act of 1867 and was renamed Toronto West in 1903.West Toronto was...

 in the 8th Parliament of the Province of Canada

8th Parliament of the Province of Canada

The 8th Parliament of the Province of Canada was in session from 1863 to July 1866. Elections were held in the Province of Canada in August 1863. Sessions were held in Quebec City until 1866; the last session was held in Ottawa....

 from 1863, when he defeated John Beverley Robinson

John Beverley Robinson

John Beverley Robinson was elected mayor of Toronto in 1856. He was the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario between the years 1880–1887....

, until he himself was defeated in 1867

Canadian federal election, 1867

The Canadian federal election of 1867, held from August 7 to September 20, was the first election for the new nation of Canada. It was held to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons, representing electoral districts in the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec in the...

. After 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...

, which he opposed, he served as an Independent Liberal Member of the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 for the riding of Toronto Centre

Toronto Centre

Toronto Centre is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1872 to 1925, and since 1935, under the names Centre Toronto , Toronto Centre , Rosedale and Toronto Centre—Rosedale .Toronto Centre covers the heart of...

 from 1875 to 1878. He was appointed to the Canadian Senate

Canadian Senate

The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...

 on the recommendation of Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Canada

The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...

 Sir John A. Macdonald on November 9, 1887. His term ended with his death in 1890.

Death

Macdonald died in Toronto, on February 4, 1890. He is interred at his family's plot in the Toronto Necropolis Cemetery.

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Oaklands - Macdonald's Toronto Estate

Works

Building	Year Completed	Builder	Style	Source	Location	Image
Oaklands	1860	John Macdonald John Macdonald (Canadian politician) John Macdonald was a Canadian merchant, churchman, philanthropist, and politician in the late 19th century in Toronto. He was a major patron of the Young Men's Christian Association and the Toronto General Hospital... , design William Hay William Hay (architect) William Hay was a Scottish architect who was actively working internationally from 1842 to 1887. A specialist in gothic architecture, he is primarily known for his work on several churches and cathedrals. His most famous structure is the Bermuda Cathedral in Hamilton, Bermuda which he designed in...		8	De La Salle College De La Salle College (Toronto) De La Salle College "Oaklands" is an independent co-educational Catholic school in Toronto, Ontario. It is operated by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools as a university preparatory institution in the Roman Catholic tradition as founded by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle in...