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Historical person

John Alexander MacDonald Biography

Historical biography and chronological timeline for John Alexander MacDonald, based on 19 World History Database records associated with Canada.

19 records1815–189118 events6 places

Chronological biography

1815

Birth of John Alexander Macdonald11 January 1815
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Glasgow

Birth of John Alexander Macdonald

1857

Joint Premier1857
Government / Government of Canada · Joint Premier of Province of Canada · Toronto

Serves briefly as joint premier before Confederation.

1864

Great Coalition22 June 1864
Government / Government of Canada · Attorney General · Quebec

Helps form the Great Coalition to pursue Confederation.

Charlottetown Conference1 September 1864
Government / Government of Canada · Delegate · Charlottetown

Attends the Charlottetown Conference where Confederation is discussed.

Quebec Conference10 October 1864
Government / Government of Canada · Delegate · Quebec

Helps draft the Quebec Resolutions for Confederation.

1866

London Conference4 December 1866
Government / Government of Canada · Delegate · London

Helps finalize Confederation terms at the London Conference.

1867

Prime Minister of Canada1867
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada

Appointed Prime Minister of Canada

Reform of Political System1867
Politics / Federation Movement · Leader Federation Movement

Influential in the passage of the British North America Act

Confederation1 July 1867
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Ottawa

Becomes first prime minister as Confederation creates the Dominion of Canada.

First Election20 September 1867
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Ottawa

Wins the first federal election after Confederation.

1869

Rupert Land Purchase19 November 1869
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Ottawa

Arranges transfer of Rupert Land from the Hudson Bay Company.

1870

Manitoba Act12 May 1870
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Ottawa

Oversees passage of the Manitoba Act.

1871

British Columbia Joins Confederation20 July 1871
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Ottawa

Brings British Columbia into Confederation with a railway promise.

1873

Pacific Scandal5 November 1873
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Ottawa

Resigns after the Pacific Scandal damages his government.

1878

Prime Minister of Canada1878
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada

Appointed Prime Minister of the Dominion of Canada

National Policy17 September 1878
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Ottawa

Returns to power advocating tariffs, railways and western settlement.

1880

Arctic Islands1 September 1880
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Ottawa

Accepts transfer of British Arctic territories to Canada.

1885

Execution of Louis Riel16 November 1885
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Ottawa

Refuses clemency before Louis Riel is executed.

1891

Death of John Alexander Macdonald6 June 1891
Government / Government of Canada · Prime Minister of Canada · Ottawa

Dies in office after dominating early Canadian federal politics.

Titles and roles

Attorney General · Delegate · Joint Premier of Province of Canada · Leader Federation Movement · Prime Minister of Canada

Record provenance

This biography is assembled from World History Database records filtered by country and personal-name fields. Exact duplicate display records are removed. The database is an index rather than a complete narrative biography; formal research should verify entries against relevant primary or specialist sources.