Charles McDonald (Canadian politician)
Charles M. McDonald (1867 – October 6, 1936) was a Canadian politician who served in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan and in the Parliament of Canada. He has the distinction of having served in both the House of Commons of Canada and the Senate of Canada for less than a year.
Charles McDonald | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly for Prince Albert City | |
| In office 1917–1925 | |
| Preceded by | John Ernest Bradshaw |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Clayton Davis |
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Prince Albert | |
| In office 1925 – January 15, 1926 | |
| Preceded by | Andrew Knox |
| Succeeded by | William Lyon Mackenzie King |
| Member of the Senate of Canada for British Columbia | |
| In office December 1935 – October 6, 1936 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1867 Scotland |
| Died | October 6, 1936 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Occupation | Pharmacist |
McDonald was a pharmacist by profession. He was born in Scotland and immigrated to Canada. By the time of the 1901 census he was living in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan with his wife.[1]
He first attracted public attention in 1918 when he assisted in the capture of two bandits sought for the slaying of a law enforcement officer.[2]
He was first elected to the Saskatchewan legislature as a Liberal MLA in the 1917 provincial election representing the provincial constituency of Prince Albert and was re-elected in the 1921 provincial election by acclamation.[3]
After two terms in the Saskatchewan legislature, McDonald switched to federal politics and contested the federal riding of Prince Albert in the 1925 federal election and was elected with more than 50% of the vote defeating both incumbent Progressive MP Andrew Knox and John Diefenbaker, the Conservative candidate and future prime minister.
The federal Liberals were re-elected with a minority government. Despite having fewer seats than the Conservatives they were able to stay in power with the support of Progressive and independent MPs. However, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King was personally defeated in his riding of York North and needed to find a new constituency. On January 15, 1926, McDonald agreed to resign his seat immediately after his election so that Mackenzie King could contest it in a by-election which was held a month later.
McDonald returned to his pharmacy and eventually moved to British Columbia. In December 1935, Prime Minister Mackenzie King, who had just been returned to government after five years of Tory rule, appointed McDonald to the Canadian Senate as a representative for British Columbia. However, McDonald's tenure was short lived as he died in office less than a year later. His combined service in both the House of Commons and the Senate is 361 days.[4]
McDonald died in Vancouver after a nine-month illness.[2]
Electoral record
| 1925 Canadian federal election: Prince Albert | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Elected | |||
| Liberal | Charles McDonald | 5,301 | 51.2 | +20.0 |  | |||
| Progressive | Andrew Knox | 2,638 | 25.5 | -28.1 | ||||
| Conservative | John Diefenbaker | 2,412 | 23.3 | +7.7 | ||||
| Total valid votes | 10,351 | 100.0 | ||||||
Source(s)
"Prince Albert, Saskatchewan (1908-09-17 - 1988-09-30)". History of Federal Ridings Since 1867. Library of Parliament. Retrieved 5 October 2021. | ||||||||
References
- "MNC Historical Online Database - Census 1901 Records". Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- "Senator C. M'Donald Dies in Vancouver", Toronto Daily Star, October 7, 1936
- "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - Parliamentary biography