William McDougall (politician)

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William McDougall (around 1863)

William McDougall , CB , PC (born January 25, 1822 in York , today's Toronto , † May 29, 1905 in Ottawa ) was a Canadian politician . As one of the fathers of the Confederation , he was one of the pioneers of the Canadian state founded in 1867. In the first federal government under John Macdonald , he was Minister for State Construction. In 1869 he was appointed first lieutenant governor of the Northwest Territories , but was never able to take office because he was prevented from entering the territory by the Louis Riel insurgents during the Red River Rebellion .

biography

McDougall received his education at the Upper Canada Academy in Cobourg . He then worked as a lawyer and campaigned for political reform as a member of the Clear Grits . From 1847 he published a newspaper which, in addition to modernizing agriculture, also aimed at spreading liberal ideas. In 1851 he began to campaign for the unification of the British colonies in North America, because he hoped that this would speed up reforms. In 1855 he sold his newspaper to George Brown and worked for the Globe until 1860 .

In 1858 McDougall was elected to the Provincial Parliament of Canada . Because of his eccentric behavior, he often fell out with other reformers. In 1862 he became Minister for the Administration of the Crown Land in John Sandfield Macdonald's government . He drove the colonization of northwestern Ontario, often ignoring the needs of the indigenous people. He was voted out of office in July 1864, but won a by-election in November of that year and returned to the government as provincial secretary.

McDougall was a participant in the Charlottetown Conference , the Québec Conference and the London Conference , at which the foundations of the future Canadian Confederation were worked out. In the first Canadian federal government of John Macdonald McDougall was from July 1, 1867 Minister for State Construction, in the subsequent general election in 1867 he was elected a member of the constituency of Lanark North. In the House of Commons , McDougall advocated a policy of expansion and called for Canada to expand to the Pacific. In 1868 he was in London in negotiations for the transfer of the Hudson's Bay Company- controlled territory of Rupert's Land to Canada.

On September 28, McDougall was appointed lieutenant governor of the newly created Northwest Territories . His reputation as a Canadian nationalist preceded him and his connections to the radical Canadian Party of John Christian Schultz were known. On the way to Fort Garry , McDougall was prevented from entering the Red River Colony on November 2, 1869 by insurgent Métis . Under the leadership of Louis Riel, they also occupied Fort Garry, thereby triggering the Red River Rebellion .

McDougall was never able to take office and was replaced by Adams George Archibald in May 1870 . In the general election in 1872 he lost his seat. Although he was back in the lower house for the constituency of Halton from 1875 to 1878, he no longer had any political influence.

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personal data
SURNAME McDougall, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 25, 1822
PLACE OF BIRTH York (Upper Canada)
DATE OF DEATH May 29, 1905
Place of death Ottawa