Alexander Mackenzie: Canadian PM 1873 to 1878
From Stone Mason to Second Prime Minister of Canada
Feb 11, 2009
Alexander Mackenzie boarded a ship from his native country of Scotland for Canada in 1842. He was 20 years old, born on January 28, 1822, third in a large family of ten sons. He was not a man of great education. Mackenzie had only six years of formal schooling and began an apprenticeship as a stone mason at age 14. Not deterred by lack of education, the young man was an inspired learner. An avid reader, Mackenzie taught himself classic subjects of history, politics, philosophy and science. A scrupulously honest man of strong principles, Mackenzie was interested in democratic reform, even as a young man.
A skilled journeyman in his trade, Mackenzie found work in Montreal and then in Kingston. Large projects were underway – battlements to fortify the city against threatened attacks from the Americans made for a lot of work for stonemasons. A bomb-proof arch in Fort Henry, four Martello Towers from which to guard the waterways, stone to quarry from Wolfe Island, and more, kept the rough hands of the stonemasons busy. Mackenzie was a foreman and supervisor on several projects.
Mackenzie Married in Kingston
And what also kept Mackenzie busy in Kingston was his sweetheart, Helen Neil. The Neil family had made the voyage to Canada from Scotland at the same time as Mackenzie. Cold winter walks across the frozen Lake Ontario did not keep him from his dear Helen, nor was he stopped even when he fell through the ice on a dark night, nearly drowning in the cold water. The next time, said First Among Equals, he carried a pole to pull himself out if need be. Alexander Mackenzie and Helen Neil married in 1845 at the Anglican church in Kingston. They were members of the Baptist Church, but at that time, the Baptist ministers were not yet permitted to perform wedding ceremonies.
In 1847, the Mackenzie family moved to Sarnia, Ontario. After participating in more stonework projects, such as the building of the Welland Canal, Mackenzie took on a new line of work: editor of the Lambton Shield. The newspaper was pro-Liberal, re-igniting Mackenzie's interest in democratic reform. He met the publisher of The Globe and leader of the Liberal party, George Brown. (The newspaper evolved into The Globe and Mail.) In the meantime, tragedy struck. Two of his three children died, leaving one daughter, Mary. His wife Helen died in 1852.
Working-class Backgrounds for Sym and Mackenzie
Mackenzie took Jane Sym as his new bride in 1853, having met at a Baptist Church in rural Sarnia. They were comfortable with each other, coming from working-class backgrounds, though Jane was not comfortable in the political limelight, and Mackenzie tried to shelter her. “Reserved by nature,” said Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, “she had not functioned effectively as a political wife, unused, as a hard-working woman of rural origin might well be, to the requirements of fashionable entertaining at the apex of Canadian political society.”
Elected to a provincial seat in 1861 and then to a federal seat in 1867, Mackenzie took over as temporary Liberal Party leader when George Brown gave up his position and left Canada for England.
The railway scandal in 1873 caused Sir John A. Macdonald to resign from the top government job; the Liberal Party stepped in to run the country. Elections were held in January of 1874. Macdonald's Conservative Party was oustered. Mackenzie was voted Prime Minister.
Vigorous and Acerbic Speeches Made by Mackenzie
Mackenzie was a rare breed – a man of politics with little formal education and humble family had reached the pinnacle of Canadian politics. Frugal and practical to a fault throughout his life, Mackenzie was initially not well-turned out due to his interest in “budgetary restraint” when he entered politics. The lower level of education did not mean he was stymied in government. Mackenzie gave impromptu speeches in parliament without aid of copious notes, and with “s style both vigorous and acerbic,” said Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, and he delighted in lively discussion.
But, his background as a working man was occasionally used against him by other politicians. Comments were hurled that were meant to bruise his spirit. “A malicious critic might have said that if his strong point was having been a stone-mason, his weak point was being a stone-mason still.”
National Construction in Ottawa
Along with his post of PM, in the seat of Minister of Public Works Mackenzie spent less time on building the nation and more time on national construction. His skills helped create unique features of the Parliament buildings, such as a circular staircase from his office to the outside, helping him take flight from pesky lobbyists without their knowledge. Mackenzie's Liberal government instituted changes to the voting system, installing the secret ballot process we continue to enjoy. Completion of the Intercolonial railway, establishment of the Supreme Court of Canada and Royal Military College, and support for Prohibition were some of the measures passed, along with pardons for followers of Louis Riel.
Mackenzie continued as Prime Minister until 1878, remaining as Liberal opposition leader. The Conservatives and Sir John A. Macdonald were returned to power that year. Leaving the leadership to Edward Blake, Mackenzie stepped down two years later but kept his seat in the Commons. A stroke left Mackenzie partially paralyzed but he was still elected as Member of Parliament for York East in 1882. In 1882, his voice failed and he was rarely able to speak in government. Still capable of writing, Mackenzie authored several books. During his life, Mackenzie was offered knighthood three times, and refused three times.
Alexander Mackenzie, stonemason and second Prime Minister of Canada, died in on April 17, 1892 at age 70 from complications after a fall in February of that year.
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