John Sandfield Macdonald, (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the joint premier of the

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first

premier of Ontario The premier of Ontario () is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincia ...

from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

in 1867. He served as both premier and

attorney general of Ontario The attorney general of Ontario is the Attorney general, chief legal adviser to Monarchy in Ontario, His Majesty the King in Right of Ontario and, by extension, the Government of Ontario. The attorney general is a senior member of the Executi ...

from July 16, 1867, to December 20, 1871. He was referred to by his middle name, Sandfield, and often signed his correspondence and documents as ''J. Sandfield Macdonald''.

Early life and legal career

Born in 1812 in Glengarry County, Upper Canada, John Sandfield was the first of five children for Alexander and Nancy Macdonald, who were Roman Catholic Highland Scots. His mother died when he was eight. Independent in mind, Macdonald twice tried to set out from home when he was eleven. Leaving school at 16, he became a clerk at several general stores, before deciding to enter the legal profession, eventually articling under Archibald McLean. When McLean was later elevated to the Court of King's Bench for Upper Canada, Macdonald became his assistant, which allowed him to meet

Allan MacNab Sir Allan Napier MacNab, 1st Baronet (19 February 1798 – 8 August 1862) was a Canadian political leader, land speculator and property investor, lawyer, soldier, and militia commander who served in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada t ...

, Thomas Talbot and

William Henry Draper William Henry Draper may refer to: * William Henry Draper (judge) William Henry Draper (March 11, 1801 – November 3, 1877) was a lawyer, judge, and politician in Upper Canada, later Canada West. Personal life He was born near London, Eng ...

(with whom he would resume his articling). Draper and McLean were leaders in the

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

political group. Macdonald was later appointed as Queen's messenger, charged with carrying dispatches between the

Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada The following is a list of lieutenant governors of Ontario and the lieutenant governors of the former colony of Upper Canada. The office of Lieutenant Governor of Ontario was created in 1867, when the Province of Ontario was created upon Confed ...

and the British Minister in Washington. In 1840, while he was on one of his missions from the Lieutenant-Governor (the

Earl of Durham Earl of Durham is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1833 for the Whig politician and colonial official John Lambton, 1st Baron Durham. Known as "Radical Jack", he played a leading role in the passing of the Ref ...

) to the British Minister at Washington he met Marie Christine Waggaman, daughter of

George Augustus Waggaman George Augustus Waggaman (1782 – March 31, 1843) was a United States Senator from Louisiana. Born in Caroline County, Maryland, to Henry Waggaman, he completed preparatory studies under private tutors, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in ...

, a former Whig senator from

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. They were married in 1840 and raised three children.

Province of Canada politics

In 1841, Macdonald was approached by two local conservative political figures, Alexander Fraser and John McGillivray, to stand for election for the Glengarry riding in the new Legislative Assembly of the

. With their support, he easily won election and entered Parliament, ostensibly in support of Draper. However, Macdonald at this point did not have firm political views, and once in Parliament, he gradually shifted towards the Reform group and away from Draper. In the first session of the Parliament, he supported the union of the Province of Canada and the government of

Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

, Lord Sydenham, but for the rest of the first Parliament, he consistently voted in support of

Robert Baldwin Robert Baldwin (May 12, 1804 – December 9, 1858) was an Upper Canadian lawyer and politician who with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine of Lower Canada, led the first responsible government ministry in the Province of Canada. ...

, the leader of the Reformers of Canada West. Macdonald served as a Lieutenant in the Queen's Light Infantry Militia in Toronto in the 1830s and early 1840s. On October 17, 1842, Macdonald was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and appointed to command the 4th Battalion of the Glengarry Militia. He commanded the 4th Glengarry until 1852 when he was replaced by his brother

Donald Alexander Macdonald Donald Alexander Macdonald (February 17, 1817 – June 10, 1896) was a Canadian politician. Born in 1817 in St. Raphael's, Upper Canada, Donald Alexander Macdonald studied at St Raphael's College under the first Catholic Bishop of Onta ...

. A Reformer and advocate of

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...

, Macdonald served in all eight Assemblies of the

prior to Confederation. He also served in several pre-confederation administrations, including a period as co-premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. It was this time when Macdonald suffered a

collapsed lung A pneumothorax is collection of air in the pleural space between the lung and the chest wall. Symptoms typically include sudden onset of sharp, one-sided chest pain and shortness of breath. In a minority of cases, a one-way valve is formed by ...

from chronic

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. Macdonald was initially an opponent of

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation () was the process by which three British North American provinces—the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick—were united into one federation, called the Name of Canada#Adoption of Dominion, Dominion of Ca ...

, but came to accept it and became an ally of Sir

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (10 or 11January 18156June 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 until his death in 1891. He was the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, and had a political ...

(no relation). John A. Macdonald helped manoeuvre Sandfield Macdonald into the position of first Premier of Ontario.

Premier and Attorney-General of Ontario

Macdonald was elected for the provincial riding of Cornwall in the first general election of 1867 for the new province of Ontario. He was re-elected in the election of 1871. In addition to serving as Premier, he also occupied the post of

Attorney General of Ontario The attorney general of Ontario is the Attorney general, chief legal adviser to Monarchy in Ontario, His Majesty the King in Right of Ontario and, by extension, the Government of Ontario. The attorney general is a senior member of the Executi ...

.Legislative Assembly of Ontario: John Sandfield Macdonald.
/ref> Macdonald instituted several notable achievements, in addition to setting up the initial machinery of government for the new Province: :* An Act modelled on the US

Homestead Acts The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of t ...

provided for virtually free land for homesteaders on surveyed

crown land Crown land, also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. Today, in Commonwealth realm ...

s of Muskoka, Haliburton and north

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

, and further Acts encouraged the northern extension of railways into those areas. :* The

District of Muskoka The District Municipality of Muskoka, more generally referred to as the District of Muskoka or Muskoka, is a List of regional municipalities in Ontario, Canada, regional municipality in Central Ontario, Canada. It extends from Georgian Bay in the ...

was created to aid in the colonization effort, from townships withdrawn from

Simcoe County Simcoe County is a county and census division located in the central region of Ontario, Canada. The county is located north of the Greater Toronto Area, and forms the north western edge of the Golden Horseshoe. The county seat is located in Mi ...

, Victoria County and the District of Nipissing. :* Education aid was concentrated into the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, at the expense of the denominational colleges. :* The election laws were reformed in 1868 to establish a single date for elections to be held (as opposed to a range of dates), and to broaden the franchise. His government was moderate and initially a coalition of liberals and

conservatives 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 civilizati ...

(described in contemporary accounts as a "Patent Combination" government), but suffered from defections by more radical Reformers. This group joined with the

Clear Grits Clear Grits were reformers in the Canada West district of the Province of Canada, a British colony that is now the Province of Ontario, Canada. Their name is said to have been given by George Brown, who said that only those were wanted in the p ...

to form the opposition

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 ...

led by

Edward Blake Dominick Edward Blake (13 October 1833 – 1 March 1912) was a Canadian politician and lawyer who was the second premier of Ontario from 1871 to 1872 and leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 1880 to 1887. He is one of three federal perm ...

and

Oliver Mowat Sir Oliver Mowat (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1903) was a Canadians, Canadian lawyer, politician, and Ontario Liberal Party leader. He served for nearly 24 years as the third premier of Ontario. He was the eighth lieutenant governor of Ontario ...

. In December 1871, Macdonald's government was defeated by Edward Blake's Liberals. Macdonald resigned, and died several months later. In the early years of confederation, politicians were allowed to serve simultaneously in the House of Commons and in a provincial legislature. From 1867 to 1872, Macdonald was also a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

MP 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 ...

Family

Macdonald's brothers,

and Alexander Francis Macdonald, were also politicians, and served as federal Members of Parliament. Donald, who served as an MP the longest of the three brothers, was in the House of Commons concurrently with both Sandfield and Alexander, although Sandfield and Alexander did not serve concurrently with each other.

Legacy

Sandfield Macdonald would be the last

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 ...

Premier of Ontario for 132 years; not until

Dalton McGuinty Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. (born July 19, 1955) is a Canadian former politician who served as the 24th premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2013. He was the first Liberal leader to win two majority governments since Mitchell Hepburn nea ...

became premier in 2003 would another Roman Catholic assume the office. After Macdonald's tenure,

sectarian Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups. Others conceive of sectarianism a ...

tensions in the province rose, and the Conservative Party increasingly became identified with the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...

and sectarian Protestantism. Even though most of the party's leaders were not sectarian themselves (with a few notable exceptions), Orange Ontarians became a core constituency of the party that leaders were loath to neglect. Catholics, meanwhile, increasingly voted for the Liberal Party. While the Liberals could never be called a Catholic party, the Catholic vote became as important a constituency to the Liberals as the Orange vote became to the Conservatives. Nineteenth century religious tensions aside, Macdonald's election as Ontario's first Premier makes his Catholicity an important historic symbol. Similarly the selection of John Thompson, Canada's first Roman Catholic Prime Minister only twenty five years after Confederation, was indicative of the ambitions of Roman Catholics to be full and equal participants in the newly created country. Macdonald is buried in historic St. Andrews Cemetery in St. Andrews West,

South Stormont South Stormont is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. It is located southeast of Ottawa. South Stormont borders on, but does not include, the city of Cornwall. Communities The town ...

, Ontario. The gravesite is marked by a bronze plaque, the first under an

Ontario Heritage Trust The Ontario Heritage Trust () is a non-profit agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It is responsible for protecting, preserving and promoting the built, natural and cultural heritage of Canada's most populous province, Ontario. ...

program to honour Ontario premiers at their burial sites, similar to a national program to mark the graves of prime ministers. The

Macdonald Block Complex The Macdonald Block Complex is a set of office buildings in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that houses 12 cabinet ministers, 15 Ontario government ministries (as of 2016) and the largest concentration of Ontario public servants. Its address is 900 Ba ...

, a major set of four office towers which house ministries of the Ontario government, is named after Macdonald. A statue of Macdonald stands in front of the east side of the

Ontario Legislative Building The Ontario Legislative Building () is a structure in central Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It houses the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, and the viceregal suite of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and offices for members of the provincial parl ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. The monument, unveiled in 1909, was sculpted by Walter Allward. He was portrayed by

Aidan Devine Aidan Devine is an English–Canadian film actor. Early life Devine was born in England and immigrated with his family to Canada at the age of 15. He studied at Dawson College's Dome Theatre in Montreal, Quebec Quebec is Canada's Li ...

in the 2011

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

film '' John A.: Birth of a Country''.

Electoral history

Provincial

Federal

References

External links

John Sandfield Macdonald Legislative Assembly of Ontario

John Sandfield Macdonald collection
Archives of Ontario

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, John Sandfield 1812 births 1872 deaths Liberal Party of Canada MPs Premiers of Ontario Premiers of the Province of Canada Members of the Executive Council of the Province of Canada Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Leaders of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Attorneys general of Ontario Lawyers in Ontario Canadian King's Counsel People from Cornwall, Ontario Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian Roman Catholics Attorneys-general of the Province of Canada 19th-century Canadian lawyers 19th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario