Agnes Gertrude Macdonald née VanKoughnet ( – 1940) also known as Gertie Macdonald, was a Canadian socialite and second wife of

Hugh John Macdonald Sir Hugh John Macdonald, (March 13, 1850 – March 29, 1929) was the only surviving son of the first prime minister of Canada, John A. Macdonald. He too was a politician, serving as a member of the House of Commons of Canada and a federal cabi ...

Biography

VanKoughnet married Hugh John MacDonald, who was ten years her senior, on April 26, 1883, at St. Stephen's church in Toronto. After their marriage, the two moved from Winnipeg to Toronto, where they lived until 1887. In 1885, the two had a son who they named John Alexander after MacDonald's father and nicknamed Jack. In 1887, the Macdonalds returned to Winnipeg. Construction of Dalnavert House was completed in 1895 when the family moved in. VanKoughnet was First Lady of Manitoba in 1900. Later, when Hugh John was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

in 1913, she officially became Lady Agnes Gertrude Macdonald. In 1905, VanKoughnet's son Jack died from complications due to

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

; her husband, Hugh John, died in 1929. Following her husband's death, VanKoughnet moved from Dalnavert to an apartment on Roslyn Road. In Winnipeg, VanKoughnet was involved in many social events. When the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall visited in 1901, she attended a luncheon in their honour and was seated at the head table. She also attended a luncheon at the Government House of Manitoba in 1939 celebrating a visit from

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

and

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms * Queen B ...

. While living at Dalnavert, VanKoughnet had two strokes leading to health complications. VanKoughnet died on July 18, 1940, and was over 80 years old at the time. She was buried in St. John's Cathedral Cemetery in Winnipeg next to Hugh John MacDonald and her son Jack.

Political career

Hugh John MacDonald counted on VanKoughnet to assist him with many of his political dealings. VanKoughnet was responsible for supervising Macdonald's 38 clerical workers and acting as his assistant. While serving as

minister of the interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

and superintendent general of Indian Affairs, Macdonald often left notes in the margins of his political papers with instructions for VanKoughnet.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:VanKoughnet, Agnes Gertrude 19th-century Canadian people 19th-century Canadian women 20th-century Canadian people 20th-century Canadian women 1860s births Year of birth uncertain Canadian socialites 1940 deaths Macdonald family