James Ronald MacDonnell (1890 – November 25, 1924) was an educator and politician in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. He represented St. George's in the

Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly () is the Unicameralism, unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Bu ...

from 1919 to 1923. The son of Richard MacDonnell, he was born in

Harbour Main Harbour Main, formerly Harbour Main-Whitbourne and Harbour Main-Bell Island, is a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Prior to 1975, the district elected two MHAs. Between 1972 and the y ...

and was educated at

Saint Bonaventure's College St. Bonaventure's College (commonly called St. Bon's) is an independent kindergarten to grade 12 Roman Catholic Church, Catholic School in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is located in the St. John's Ecclesiastical District, adj ...

, at the

National College of Ireland National College of Ireland (NCI) (''Coláiste Náisiúnta na hÉireann'' (''CNÉ'') in Irish) is a not-for-profit, state-aided third-level education institution in Dublin. It was founded in 1951 as a joint venture between the Jesuits in Ir ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

and at

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns () is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environments. The Benchers of King's Inns aw ...

in Dublin. MacDonnell taught school in

Torbay Torbay is a unitary authority with a borough status in the ceremonial county of Devon, England. It is governed by Torbay Council, based in the town of Torquay, and also includes the towns of Paignton and Brixham. The borough consists of ...

before going to Ireland to continue his education. He returned to Newfoundland as assistant superintendent of

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

schools. MacDonnell married Stella Pieroway. After being elected in 1919, he was offered the position of Minister of Agriculture but declined and sat in opposition. During his time in the assembly, MacDonnell opposed giving the vote to women. He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1923. MacDonnell's health declined soon after he returned to farming and he died in St. John's the following year.

References

1890 births 1924 deaths 20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Dominion of Newfoundland politicians Alumni of the National College of Ireland Alumni of King's Inns {{Newfoundland-politician-stub