John Macdonald
John Macdonald
Pious Merchant, Philanthropist and Politician
This book serves as an example of how a relatively short book can provide a modern day family with sufficient information and footnotes to continue their own family history research. Started in 1979, this book has been updated with memories from grandchildren and great grandchildren. The descendants of Senator Macdonald and families who lived at about the same time in 19th century Toronto can use this book as further support for their own ancestral research.
The life of Senator John Macdonald is a rags-to-riches history of a self-made man. To the people who met him in passing, he may have appeared as a very wealthy, self-centred man but in fact his Victorian exterior probably disguised his underlying reason for living -- his Methodist beliefs. He was a successful wholesaler, an active church promoter, a politician during the formation of our Dominion, organizer and financial supporter of the YMCA, Toronto General Hospital and Victoria College, a poet and a well-travelled, worldly gentleman.
As a converted Methodist he took the belief of high Christian principles, hard work, sobriety and honesty for granted. Rather than a "life and times" biography, this book of Macdonald's life will revolve around MacdonaldÕs capitalist ideal of self-denial in the present to invest in the future; and secondly, his attempt to follow perfect patterns of living relative to his personal habits, to the perfecting of business organization and to the performance of their social services. Senator Macdonald was as intimate of Sir John A. Macdonald (no relation) who appointed him as the only Liberal member of the Senate, George Brown (founder of the The Globe newspaper) who played chess while chatting politics with Macdonald, saw Queen Victoria on a visit to London, visited CusterÕs Last Stand on a train trip across America (of which he wrote travel columns for The Globe), and introduced General Booth, founder of the Salvation Army to the Toronto community. He helped found dozens of churches including the Metropolitan Cathedral in downtown Toronto (now part of the United Church of Canada).
80 pages, 6 x 9 inches, ISBN 1-55307-027-5, $20 ebook
Table of Contents
Introduction
ONE: Scottish Childhood
TWO: Apprenticeship, Conversion and Jamaican Trip
THREE: The Seeds of Success
FOUR: The 'Perfect' Methodist
FIVE: The Harvest of Life
SIX: Epilogue and Conclusion
Family Tree
References
Available in 2011