Born

• 11 January 1815, Glasgow, Scotland
• Emigrated to Canada in 1820

Education

• Midland District Grammar School and John Cruickshank School, Kingston, Ontario

Personal Status

• Married 1843, Isabella Clark (1811-1856)
• One son (One other died in infancy)
• Re-married 1867, Susan Agnes Bernard (1836-1920)
• One daughter

Professional Life

• Lawyer (called to the Bar of Upper Canada in 1836)
• Businessman
• 1837 Private, the Commercial Bank Guard
• 1843-1846 Alderman for Kingston, Ontario

Died

• 6 June 1891, Ottawa, Ontario, while still in office

Buried

• Cataraqui Cemetery, near Kingston, Ontario

Party

• Liberal-Conservative (forerunner of Conservative Party)
• 1867-1891 Party Leader

Constituencies

• 1867-1878, 1887-1891 Kingston, Ontario
• 1878-1882 Victoria, British Columbia
• 1882-1887 Carleton, Ontario

Other Ministries

• 1847-1848 Receiver General (Province of Canada)
• 1854-1858, 1858-1862, 1864-1867 Attorney General (Canada West)
• 1861-1862, 1865-1867 Militia Affairs
• 1867-1873 Justice and Attorney General
• 1878-1883 Interior
• 1878-1887 Superintendant General of Indian Affairs
• 1889-1891 Railways and Canals

Political Record

• Joint Premier, Province of Canada, with Etienne-Paschal Tache 1856-1857, and with George-Etienne Cartier 1857-1858, 1858-1862
• Co-leader, Great Coalition, with George-Etienne Cartier and George Brown 1864-1865, and with George-Etienne Cartier 1865-1867
• Father of Confederation 1867
• Creation of provinces of Manitoba 1870, British Columbia 1871, and Prince Edward Island 1873
• Red River Rebellion 1870
• Building of Canadian Pacific Railway 1871-1885
• North West Mounted Police 1873
• Pacific Scandal 1873
• Leader of the Opposition 1873-1878
• National Policy 1879
• Northwest Rebellion 1885
• Creation of the first national park at Banff, Alberta 1885