Rev. James A. Macdonald

1862 - 1923  (61 years)

• Name	Rev. James A. Macdonald
  Birth	22 Jan 1862	East Williams Township, Ontario   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Death	14 May 1923	Toronto, Ontario   [1]
  Siblings	1 sibling
  + 1. Rev. Donald Barclay Macdonald ,   b. 3 Sep 1853, London, Middlesex, Ontario d. 16 Jul 1909, Lincoln, Ontario  (Age 55 years) ▻ Marienne Jardine ,  m. 24 Feb 1874   2. Rev. James A. Macdonald ,   b. 22 Jan 1862, East Williams Township, Ontario d. 14 May 1923, Toronto, Ontario  (Age 61 years)
  Person ID	I35002	Ancestry of PNH, TNH, and others
  Last Modified	18 May 2021

  
  

  Father	John Alexander Macdonald,   b. Abt 1818, Pictou, Pictou, Nova Scotia d. 22 Feb 1899, London, Middlesex, Ontario (Age ~ 81 years)
  Mother	Jane Grant,   b. 4 May 1825, Pictou, Pictou, Nova Scotia d. 12 Jul 1878, Middlesex, Ontario (Age 53 years)
  Marriage	28 Dec 1848	London, Middlesex, Ontario   [2]
  Family ID	F20573	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  From Wikipedia: He was born in East Williams Township, Upper Canada, the son of John Alexander Macdonald and Jane Grant, and was educated there, in Hamilton, in Toronto and at the University of Toronto. Macdonald continued his studies at Knox College, where he became editor of the Knox College Monthly. After graduating in 1887, he continued to be editor and also served as college librarian. In 1890, Macdonald married Grace Lumsden Christian. He was ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1891 and assigned to Knox Presbyterian Church in St. Thomas. In 1896, Macdonald was named principal of Presbyterian Ladies' College in Toronto. He also became editor of a new Presbyterian monthly, the Westminster. In 1902, Macdonald also became editor of a new weekly Presbyterian. In 1903, he became editor of the Globe, continuing in that role until 1915. Macdonald also served as a director of the Canadian Associated Press and for the University of Toronto, as a trustee for the Toronto General Hospital. A pacifist, he was a director of the World Peace Foundation and participated in rallies against American involvement in World War I. Later concluding that German aggression needed to be stopped, Macdonald emphasized that the intent of war should be to restore peace. He died in Toronto at the age of 61. Macdonald published two collections of essays, Democracy and the Nations in 1915 and The North American Idea in 1917, proposing closer ties between Canada and the United States. In the latter year he suffered from both physical and mental breakdowns. These events caused his retirement. From the Dictionary of Canadian Biography (citation details below): MACDONALD, JAMES ALEXANDER, editor, Presbyterian minister, school principal, orator, social reformer, and author; b. 22 Jan. 1862 in East Williams Township, Upper Canada, son of John Alexander Macdonald, a farmer, and Jane Grant; m. 11 June 1890 Grace Lumsden Christian in Oil City, Ont., and they had two sons and a daughter; d. 14 May 1923 in Toronto. James A. Macdonald traced his ancestry to Glen Urquhart in the Highlands of Scotland. His great-great-grandfather had survived the battle of Culloden in 1746, immigrated to North Carolina, and fought with his sons on the side of the British in the American revolution. The family subsequently moved to Pictou County, N.S., and then to East Williams. Gaelic was the first language for many in the community where Macdonald grew up.

  
  

• Sources

  [S2180] Dictionary of Canadian Biography. [S5800] Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1938, on ancestry.com.