Alexander Mackenzie

Alexander Mackenzie, PC (January 28, 1822 – April 17, 1892), a building contractor and writer, was the second Prime Minister of Canada from November 7, 1873 to October 8, 1878.

He was born in Logierait, Perth and Kinross, Scotland to Alexander Mackenzie (Sr.) and Mary Stewart Fleming. He emigrated to Canada in 1842 after completing an education in public schools at Perth, Moulin, and Dunkeld, Scotland.

Mackenzie married Helen Neil (1826-1852) in 1845 and with her had three children, with only one girl surviving infancy. In 1853, he married Jane Sym (1825-1893).

When the Macdonald government fell due to the Pacific scandal in 1873, the Governor General, Lord Dufferin, had to call on someone to form a government. There was no clear leader of the Liberal Party. Mackenzie was the fourth person called upon, and the first to accept the post of Prime Minister. Mackenzie formed a government and then asked the Governor General to call an election for January 1874. The Liberals won, and Mackenzie remained prime minister until the 1878 election when Macdonald's Conservatives returned to power with a majority government.

As Prime Minister, Alexander Mackenzie strove to reform and simplify the machinery of government. He introduced the secret ballot; created the Supreme Court of Canada; established the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario in 1874; created the Office of the Auditor General in 1878; and struggled to launch the national railway. After his government's defeat, Mackenzie remained Leader of the Opposition until 1880, when he relinquished the party leadership to Edward Blake. However, he remained as a Member of Parliament until 1892, because he died in Toronto, Ontario, from a stroke that resulted from hitting his head during a fall. He is buried in the Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia, Ontario.

Note: At the time, it was customary for the British monarch to knight all Canadian Prime Ministers but Mackenzie declined all offers of a British knighthood.

Supreme Court Appointments

Mackenzie appointed the following Justices to the Supreme Court of Canada:

Sir William Buell Richards (Chief Justice) - (September 30, 1875 - January 10, 1879)
Sir William Johnstone Ritchie - (September 30, 1875 - September 25, 1892)
Sir Samuel Henry Strong - (September 30, 1875 - November 18, 1902)
Jean-Thomas Taschereau - (September 30, 1875 - October 6, 1878)
Telesphore Fournier - (September 30, 1875 - September 12, 1895)
William Alexander Henry - (September 30, 1875 - May 3, 1888)
Sir Henri Elzear Taschereau - (October 7, 1878 - May 2, 1906)

Helen Neil Mackenzie

Helen Neil Mackenzie (October 21, 1826-January 4, 1852) was the first wife of Alexander Mackenzie. She had three children, and died after being married to Mackenzie for seven years. Only one of their children survived infancy, a girl, named Mary Mackenzie. It was because of Helen, who previously emigrated to Canada with her family, that Alexander also came to Canada.

External links

Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Alexander Mackenzie

Supreme Court Appointments

Helen Neil Mackenzie

External links