Electoral history of John A. Macdonald

This article is the Electoral history of Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister of Canada (1867 to 1873; 1878 to 1891).

A Conservative, he was Canada's second longest-serving prime minister, with two separate terms as prime minister (1867–1873, 1878–1891). He won six general elections and lost one. He died in office in 1891, three months after his sixth general election victory, and was succeeded by Sir John Abbott.

Prior to Confederation in 1867, Macdonald was a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and served three terms as joint premier of the Province.

Summary

Macdonald was the second-longest serving Prime Minister, with two separate terms as prime minister (1867–1873, 1878–1891).^[1] He was in office for a total of 18 years, 359 days. He led the combined Liberal-Conservative Party and Conservative Party in seven general elections, winning six and losing one. He is in a three-way tie with Sir Wilfrid Laurier and Mackenzie King for the number of general elections he contested as leader of a party.

His streak of four consecutive majority governments (1878, 1882, 1887, and 1891) is tied with the identical record of Laurier as the longest streak of general election victories at the federal level. His unbroken term in office from October 17, 1878 to June 6, 1891 (just under thirteen years) is the third-longest unbroken term, coming after Laurier's unbroken term in office of over fifteen years (July 11, 1896 to October 6, 1911) and King's term of just over thirteen years (October 23, 1935 to November 14, 1948.^[1]

Macdonald was the first of four prime ministers to serve non-consecutive terms, the others being Arthur Meighen, King, and Pierre Trudeau.

Macdonald was the first of five prime ministers from Ontario, the others being Alexander Mackenzie, Mackenzie Bowell, King and Lester B. Pearson.

Macdonald stood for election to the House of Commons of Canada twelve times, in 1867, 1872, 1874 (twice), 1878 (three times), 1882 (twice), 1887 (twice), and 1891, although some of those were multiple elections in the same general election, as was permitted at that time. He won eleven of the elections and was defeated once in his home constituency of Kingston, Ontario. Two of his elections were set aside for electoral irregularities, in one case requiring him to stand in a by-election, which he won.

Macdonald was elected as a member of the House of Commons for five different constituencies, and at various times sat in the Commons for three different constituencies in two different provinces (Kingston, Ontario; Victoria, British Columbia; and Carleton, Ontario). He served in the Commons for a total of 23 years, 7 months, and 10 days, continuously from the first Parliament, elected in 1867, to his death in 1891.^[2]

Prior to the creation of Canada in 1867, Macdonald served seven terms (23 years) in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, as well as three terms as joint Premier of the Province. He was also elected alderman of his home town of Kingston, Ontario, the beginning of his electoral career.

Macdonald's combined time in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, and then in the House of Commons of Canada, totalled 46 years of elected service. His combined time as joint Premier of the Province of Canada and as Prime Minister of Canada totalled 28 years and 21 days.

Federal general elections, 1867 to 1891

Macdonald led the combined Liberal-Conservative Party and Conservative Party in seven general elections, winning six (1867, 1872, 1878, 1882, 1887 and 1891) and losing once (1874).

Federal election, 1867

Canada came into existence on July 1, 1867, when the British North America Act, 1867 was proclaimed in force. The first general election to Parliament was held in the summer of 1867 and resulted in a majority government for Macdonald and his coalition of Conservatives and Liberal-Conservatives. The main opposition was from the Liberals, but there was also a substantial group of Anti-Confederation Members of Parliament from the province of Nova Scotia who were opposed to Confederation and sought to dissolve the new union.

Canadian Federal Election, 1867 – Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote
	Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	71	23.45%
	Liberal-Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	29	11.08%
	Liberal	None²	62	22.67%
	Anti-Confederation	Joseph Howe	18	7.92%
	Independent	–	0	0.65%
	Independent Liberal	–	0	0.39%
	Unknown³	–	0	33.84%
Total			180	100.00%
Source: Library of Parliament – ParlInfo: General Election (1867-08-07 – 1867-09-20)

¹ Prime Minister when election was called; Prime Minister after the election.
² Party structure had not yet emerged. George Brown of Ontario was the unofficial leader of the Liberal groupings.
³ Election returns in 1867 did not require candidates to declare party affiliation. Large numbers of candidates did not list a party affiliation.

Federal election, 1872

The 1872 election was closely fought. Macdonald was returned to office, albeit with a reduced majority. An election financing scandal arose shortly after the election, with allegations that Macdonald and the Conservatives had accepted bribes in return for granting the contract for the trans-Canadian railroad to the first Canadian Pacific Railway company of Hugh Allan. As a result of the scandal, Macdonald and his government was forced to resign in late 1873. The Governor-General, Lord Dufferin, appointed Alexander Mackenzie, the leader of the Liberals, as prime minister. Mackenzie called an election in early 1874.

Canadian Federal Election, 1872 – Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote
	Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	63	25.8%
	Liberal-Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	36	12.9%
	Liberal	None²	95	34.7%
	Independent Liberal	–	2	1.6%
	Independent Conservative	–	2	0.7%
	Independent	–	1	1.6%
	Conservative Labour	–	1	0.5%
	Unknown³	–	0	22.2%
Total			180	100.00%
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

¹ Prime Minister when election was called; Prime Minister after the election.
² Party structure had not yet emerged. Edward Blake of Ontario was the unofficial leader of the Liberal groupings.
³ Election returns in 1872 did not require candidates to declare party affiliation. Large numbers of candidates did not list a party affiliation.

Federal election, 1874

Prime Minister Mackenzie formed his government in late 1873, after the fall of the Macdonald government in late 1873. Mackenzie called the general election in early 1874. He won a majority and was confirmed in office. Macdonald retained the support of the Conservatives and became the Leader of the Opposition. The 1874 election was the only general election Macdonald lost.

Canadian Federal Election, 1874 – Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote
	Liberal	Alexander Mackenzie¹	129	39.5%
	Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald²	39	17.7%
	Liberal-Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald²	26	12.4%
	Independent Liberal	–	5	2.0%
	Independent	–	4	3.2%
	Independent Conservative	–	3	0.7%
	Conservative Labour	–	0	0.5%
	Unknown³	–	0	24.0%
Total			206	100.00%
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

¹ Prime Minister when election was called; Prime Minister after the election.
² Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
³ Election returns in 1874 did not require candidates to declare party affiliation. Large numbers of candidates did not list a party affiliation.

Federal election, 1878

In the 1878 election, Macdonald and the Conservatives were returned to government, defeating Alexander Mackenzie and the Liberals.

Canadian Federal Election, 1878 – Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote
	Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	85	26.3%
	Liberal-Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	49	15.8%
	Liberal	Alexander Mackenzie²	63	33.0%
	Independent	–	5	2.7%
	Independent Conservative	–	2	0.2%
	Independent Liberal	–	1	1.0%
	Nationalist Conservative	–	1	0.1%
	Unknown³	–	0	20.9%
Total			206	100.0%
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

¹ Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Prime Minister after the election.
² Prime Minister when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
³ Election returns in 1878 did not require candidates to declare party affiliation. Large numbers of candidates did not list a party affiliation.

Federal election, 1882

Macdonald and the Conservatives were maintained in power by the 1882 election. Macdonald won his fourth majority government, defeating the Liberals, now led by Edward Blake.

Canadian Federal Election, 1882 – Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote
	Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	94	27.8%
	Liberal-Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	39	12.6%
	Liberal	Edward Blake²	73	31.1%
	Independent Liberal	–	2	1.1%
	Independent	–	1	1.6%
	Nationalist Conservative	–	1	0.2%
	Independent Conservative	–	1	0.2%
	Unknown³	–	0	25.4%
Total			211	100.0%
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

¹ Prime Minister when election was called; Prime Minister after the election.
² Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
³ Election returns in 1882 did not require candidates to declare party affiliation. Large numbers of candidates did not list a party affiliation.

Federal election, 1887

Macdonald and the Conservatives were maintained in power by the 1887 election. Macdonald won his fifth majority government, defeating the Liberals, again led by Edward Blake. One notable feature of the election was the drop in Quebec seats held by the Conservatives, following the execution of Louis Riel two years earlier.

Canadian Federal Election, 1887 – Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote
	Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	96	40.2%
	Liberal-Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	27	7.3%
	Liberal	Edward Blake²	79	43.1%
	Independent Liberal	–	6	2.2%
	Independent Conservative	–	3	1.6%
	Nationalist Conservative	–	2	0.5%
	Independent	–	1	1.2%
	Nationalist	–	1	0.7%
	Unknown³	–	0	3.3%
Total			215	100.0%
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

¹ Prime Minister when election was called; Prime Minister after the election.
² Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
³ Election returns in 1887 did not require candidates to declare party affiliation. Many candidates did not list a party affiliation.

Federal election, 1891

The 1891 election was Macdonald's last. Macdonald, aged 76, again led the Conservatives to victory, his sixth, albeit with a reduced majority. His opponent in the 1891 election was Wilfrid Laurier, the new leader of the Liberals. Macdonald died three months after the election.

Canadian Federal Election, 1891 – Parties, Leaders, Seats Won and Popular Vote
Party		Leaders	Seats Won	Popular Vote
	Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	97	43.0%
	Liberal-Conservative	Sir John A. Macdonald¹	20	5.6%
	Liberal	Wilfrid Laurier²	90	45.2%
	Independent Conservative	–	3	1.9%
	Independent	–	2	0.8%
	Independent Liberal	–	1	0.7%
	Nationalist Conservative	–	1	0.2%
	Nationalist	–	1	0.0%³
	Equal Rights	–	0	0.3%
	Progressive	–	0	0.1%
	Unknown⁴	–	0	2.2%
Total			215	100.0%
Source: Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867

¹ Prime Minister when election was called; Prime Minister after the election.
² Leader of the Opposition when election was called; Leader of the Opposition after the election.
³ Acclaimed.
⁴ Election returns in 1887 did not require candidates to declare party affiliation. Many candidates did not list a party affiliation.

Federal constituency elections, 1867 to 1891

Macdonald stood for election to the House of Commons twelve times, in three different provinces (British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario), in five different ridings. He was elected eleven times and defeated once.^[2]

1867 Federal election: Kingston

v t e 1867 Canadian federal election: Kingston
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald	735	83.8%
	Unknown	John Stewart	142	16.2%
Total			877
Source(s) Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Kingston

1872 Federal election: Kingston

v t e 1872 Canadian federal election: Kingston
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald (incumbent)	735	54.9%
	Unknown	John Carruthers	604	45.1%
Total			1,339
Source(s) Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Kingston

1874 Federal election: Kingston

v t e 1874 Canadian federal election: Kingston
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald (incumbent)	839	51.2%
	Unknown	John Carruthers	801	48.8%
Total			1,640
Source: lop.parl.ca

1874 Federal by-election: Kingston

v t e Canadian federal by-election, 29 December 1874: Kingston On Macdonald's election being declared void on 21 November
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald (incumbent)	889	50.5%
	Unknown	John Carruthers	872	49.5%
Total			1,761
Source: lop.parl.ca

1878 Federal election: Kingston

Macdonald stood for election in three different constituencies at the 1878 general election, as was permitted at that time: Kingston, Ontario; Victoria, British Columbia; and Marquette, Manitoba. He was elected in Victoria and Marquette but was defeated in Kingston, his only loss at the constituency level. Macdonald chose to sit as the Member of Parliament from Victoria.^[2]

v t e 1878 Canadian federal election: Kingston
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal	Alexander Gunn	991	53.7%
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald (incumbent)	847	45.9%
	Unknown	John Stewart	6	0.3%
Total			1,844
Source(s) Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Kingston

1878 Federal election: Victoria

Macdonald stood for election in three different constituencies at the 1878 general election, as was permitted at that time: Victoria, British Columbia; Kingston, Ontario; and Marquette, Manitoba. He was elected in Victoria and Marquette but was defeated in Kingston, his only loss at the constituency level. Macdonald chose to sit as the Member of Parliament from Victoria.^[2]

v t e 1878 Canadian federal election: Victoria, British Columbia
Party	Candidate	Votes	Elected
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald	896	Y
	Liberal	Amor De Cosmos (incumbent)	538	Y
	Unknown	J.P. Davies	480
Source(s) Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Victoria

1878 Federal election: Marquette

Macdonald stood for election in three different constituencies at the 1878 general election, as was permitted at that time: Marquette, Manitoba; Kingston, Ontario; and Victoria, British Columbia. He was elected in Victoria and Marquette but was defeated in Kingston, his only loss at the constituency level. Macdonald chose to sit as the Member of Parliament from Victoria.^[2]

v t e 1878 Canadian federal election: Marquette
Party	Candidate	Votes
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald	acclaimed
Source(s) Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Marquette

1882 Federal election: Carleton

Macdonald stood for election in two different constituencies at the 1882 general election, as was permitted at that time: Carleton, Ontario and Lennox, Ontario. He was elected in both ridings but chose to sit as the Member of Parliament for Carleton. His election in Lennox was subsequently set aside for election irregularities.^[2]

v t e 1882 Canadian federal election: Carleton, Ontario
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald	1,185	48.75
	Independent Conservative	John May^[3]	629	25.87
	Liberal	Erskine Henry Bronson^[3]	617	25.38
Total valid votes			2,431
Source(s) Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Carleton

1882 Federal election: Lennox

Macdonald stood for election in two different constituencies at the 1882 general election, as was permitted at that time: Lennox, Ontario, and Carleton. He was elected in both ridings but chose to sit as the Member of Parliament for Carleton. His election in Lennox was subsequently set aside for election irregularities.^[2]

v t e 1882 Canadian federal election: Lennox
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald	1,492	53.6%
	Liberal	David Wright Allison	1,292	46.4%
Total			2,784
Source(s) Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Lennox

1887 Federal election: Kingston

Macdonald stood for election in two different constituencies at the 1887 general election, as was permitted at that time: Kingston, Ontario and Lennox, Ontario. He was elected in both ridings but chose to sit as the Member of Parliament for Kingston.^[2]

v t e 1887 Canadian federal election: Kingston
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald	1,368	50.3%
	Liberal	Alexander Gunn (incumbent)	1,351	49.7%
Total			2,719
Source(s) Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Kingston

1887 Federal election: Carleton

Macdonald stood for election in two different constituencies at the 1887 general election, as was permitted at that time: Lennox, Ontario and Kingston, Ontario. He was elected in both ridings but chose to sit as the Member of Parliament for Kingston.^[2]

v t e 1887 Canadian federal election: Carleton, Ontario
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald (incumbent)	1,691	73.62
	Liberal	John K. Stewart	606	26.38
Total valid votes			2,297
Source(s) Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Carleton

1891 Federal election: Kingston

Macdonald stood for election in Kingston, Ontario and was re-elected. It was his last election. He died three months after the election.^[2]

v t e 1891 Canadian federal election: Kingston
Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Liberal–Conservative	John A. Macdonald (incumbent)	1,784	57.3%
	Liberal	Alexander Gunn	1,301	41.8%
	Unknown	Major Edwards	29	0.9%
Total			3,114
Source(s) Library of Parliament – History of Federal Ridings since 1867: Kingston

Province of Canada general elections, 1844–1867

Macdonald was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada seven times, in the provincial general elections of 1844, 1848, 1852, 1854, 1858, 1861 and 1863, for a total of 23 years in the Legislative Assembly. Throughout this period, he represented the riding of Kingston, Canada West, initially as a Conservative (1844–1858), and then as a Liberal-Conservative (1858–1867).

Macdonald served three terms as joint premier for the Province of Canada: 1856–1858; 1858–1862; and 1864–1867. He was the longest-serving joint premier, with a total time in office of 9 years and 27 days.

Municipal election: Kingston, 1843

Macdonald was elected once as alderman for the Town of Kingston.

Kingston Municipal Election, March 29, 1843: Kingston: Fourth Ward
Party		Candidate	Popular Vote	%
	Unknown	John A. Macdonald	156	78.4%
	Unknown	Colonel Jackson	43	21.6%
Total			199	100.0%
Source: The Man Who Made Us: The Life and Times of Sir John A. Macdonald^[4]

Elected.

References

^ ^a ^b Parliament of Canada – PARLINFO: "Prime Ministers of Canada".
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Parliament of Canada – PARLINFO: MACDONALD, The Right Hon. Sir John Alexander, P.C., G.C.B., Q.C.
^ ^a ^b "The Political Campaign". Montreal Gazette. June 14, 1882. p. 5. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
^ Gwyn, Richard. The Man Who Made Us: The Life and Times of Sir John A. Macdonald, Vol 1: 1815–1867, p. 59. Toronto: Random House Canada, 2007.

External links

History of Federal Ridings since 1867

[PMs-1] Parliament of Canada – PARLINFO: "Prime Ministers of Canada".

[LoP-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Parliament of Canada – PARLINFO: MACDONALD, The Right Hon. Sir John Alexander, P.C., G.C.B., Q.C.

[elxn82-3] "The Political Campaign". Montreal Gazette. June 14, 1882. p. 5. Retrieved June 8, 2023.

[4] Gwyn, Richard. The Man Who Made Us: The Life and Times of Sir John A. Macdonald, Vol 1: 1815–1867, p. 59. Toronto: Random House Canada, 2007.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]