The humble roots of our first prime minister He was the drunken son of a failed small businessman. He was also a charming and brilliant negotiator and politician who sold his idea of a nation to a people ready to hear it. He was the drunken son of a failed small businessman. He was also a charming and brilliant negotiator and politician who sold his idea of a nation to a people ready to hear it. Jan. 11 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of John A. Macdonald, Canadas founding prime minister. While most of his later life is well known to Canadians, his early life is lesser known. Although honest and hardworking, his father Hugh Macdonald was unable to create the prosperity he dearly desired. The collapse of his latest ventures as cotton broker and as a bandana manufacturer in Glasgow, Scotland, made him think Canada just might be the fresh start the family needed. His wifes half-sister was already settled there, after all. In 1820, Macdonald packed up his wife and kids, his mother and others. Leaving behind a trail of debts, the family set sail for the land that would eventually bring renown to his son. A somewhat short but well-built man, with a quiet demeanour, Hugh Macdonald also like to drink. A lot. In that time period, higher social classes drank more than lower classes. Politicians and professionals, storekeepers and labourers alike, none feared being visibly drunk in public. A normal evening out meant getting totally, stupidly, drunk, commented Richard Gwyn in The Man Who Made Us: the Life and Times of John A. Macdonald. It was a trait which passed down to John A., who actually overcome the urge later in life. Settled into Kingston, John As father opened a dry goods store. The store failed. He opened another store in a different location with the same frustrating result. The family moved to Hay Bay, nearby. Then again to Stone Mills. After successive failures, the family returned to Kingston in 1836 with little money to send John A. to university to pursue a career in literature. It was John As father who came up with the idea his son become a lawyer. Starting a law career required no funding and no university tuition in those days, plus John A. could earn a decent income. Early successes earn John A. accolades he managed to parlay into a position of more and more power. Finances may have been difficult, and the household kept shifting, but the Macdonald home was a place of love, encouragement, and support, qualities that enabled their son to later reach his goal of becoming Canadas first prime minister happy birthday read this one drivers everybody else here 10-4
Posted on: Mon, 12 Jan 2015 03:35:31 +0000
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