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Edmund Mortimer McDonald

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Edmund Mortimer McDonald
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Lunenburg
In office
1867–1872
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded byCharles Edward Church
Personal details
Born(1825-09-25)September 25, 1825
West River, Nova Scotia, Canada
DiedMay 25, 1874(1874-05-25) (aged 48)
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Political partyAnti-Confederate
Liberal

Edmund Mortimer McDonald (September 29, 1825 – May 25, 1874) was a Nova Scotia journalist, publisher and political figure. He represented Lunenburg in the House of Commons of Canada as an Anti-Confederate and then a Liberal-Conservative from 1868 to 1872.

Early life

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He was born in West River, Nova Scotia in 1825.

Before politics

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He worked as a journalist with Joseph Howe on the Novascotian during the 1840s. In 1847, he became the owner of the Eastern Chronicle at New Glasgow. He served as Queen's Printer for Nova Scotia from 1860 to 1863. In 1863, he founded the Halifax Citizen with William Garvie; the paper favoured a maritime union but opposed Confederation. McDonald and Garvie also helped found the Anti-confederation League, which had the same aims.

Political career

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In 1867, he was elected to the House of Commons and lobbied for the removal of Nova Scotia from the union and for repealing of the British North America Act for Nova Scotia.[1] When Howe was able to negotiate better terms for the province in 1869, McDonald threw his support behind Sir John A. Macdonald.

Later life and death

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In 1872, he was named customs inspector for the port of Halifax. He died at Halifax in 1874.

References

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  1. ^ D. A. Muise. "Edmund Mortimer McDonald".