William Alexander Macdonald

Who was William Alexander Macdonald?

William Alexander Macdonald was a Manitoba lawyer and politician and British Columbia judge. He briefly served as leader of the Manitoba Conservatives during the 1890s.

He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, the son of Frederick William Macdonald, and was educated there and at Osgoode Hall. Macdonald was called to the bars of both Ontario and Manitoba in 1882. He practised in Brandon, Manitoba from 1882 to 1897.

Macdonald first ran for public office in the provincial election of 1888, losing in the riding of North Brandon to Liberal Clifford Sifton. He was elected for Brandon City in 1892, defeating incumbent Liberal James Smart by 12 votes.

Before the 1892 election, Rodmond P. Roblin had been the de facto leader of the opposition Conservative caucus. With Roblin having lost his seat, Macdonald was chosen as his replacement and was recognized as the official leader of the opposition.

He did not serve in this capacity long. Macdonald's election was declared void in mid-1893, and he lost a by-election to Liberal Charles Adams on September 8 of the same year.

In 1896, Macdonald ran federally as the official Conservative candidate in Brandon.