Dalton McCarthy (October 10, 1836 – May 11, 1898), or D'Alton McCarthy, was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

lawyer and parliamentarian. He was the leader of the " Orange" or

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

Irish Canadians Irish Canadians () are Canadian citizens who have full or partial Irish heritage including descendants who trace their ancestry to immigrants who originated in Ireland. 1.2 million Irish immigrants arrived from 1825 to 1970, and at least half o ...

, and fiercely fought against Irish Catholics as well as the French Catholics. He especially crusaded for the abolition of the

French language French ( or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-R ...

in schools in

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

and

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. McCarthy originally served in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...

as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

. An Irish-born Protestant, McCarthy was stridently anti-

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and anti-

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

. His contemporaries respected his organizational skills and perceived him as a potential Conservative leader after

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Sir John A. Macdonald vacated the leadership. However, he broke with the Conservatives in the 1890s, running and being re-elected as an Independent Member of Parliament (MP) in the 1891 Canadian federal election. He appears to have been associated with the Equal Rights Party which ran in that election but did not run as their candidate. His firm, Boulton & McCarthy in

Barrie Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part ...

, was the first incarnation of what is now Canada's largest law firm,

McCarthy Tétrault McCarthy Tétrault LLP is a Canadian law firm specializing in business law, litigation services, tax law, real property law, labour and employment law, with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montréal, Québec City, London (UK), as well ...

. He appeared in the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; , ) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants eac ...

in the significant constitutional case of '' Citizens Insurance Co of Canada v Parsons'', arguing successfully on behalf of two individuals claiming compensation under fire insurance policies.''Citizens' and The Queen Ins. Cos. v. Parsons; Western Ins. Co. v. Johnston'' (1880), 4 SCR 215.
/ref> The case helped establish the scope of provincial jurisdiction in contract matters. He also defended Emily Stowe in the 1879 abortion trial of Emily Stowe. McCarthy was a founder of the " Imperial Federation League", which proposed uniting the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and the emerging dominions under a central Cabinet government responsible to an Imperial Parliament elected from throughout the

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

. McCarthy organized his own slate of McCarthyite candidates for the 1896 election, but he was the only one elected. Following the 1896 election, McCarthy forged an alliance with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, even though its leader

Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier (November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and Liberal politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadians, French ...

was a French Canadian Catholic. He might have been appointed to cabinet had he not died following a carriage accident in 1898. McCarthy was a key figure in the

Manitoba Schools Question The Manitoba Schools Question () was a political crisis in the Canadian province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, attacking publicly-funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants. The crisis was precipitated by a ...

, and a major proponent in pushing English only in legislatures, courts, and schools of Western Canada.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Dalton 1836 births 1898 deaths Accidental deaths in Ontario Canadian political party founders Canadian Protestants Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Independent MPs in the Canadian House of Commons Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Lawyers in Ontario Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Manitoba Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario People from Barrie Politicians from Simcoe County Pre-Confederation Ontario people 19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada

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