Augustine Colin MacDonald

MACDONALD, HONOURABLE AUGUSTINE COLIN, merchant; b. 30 June 1837 at Panmure, son of Hugh Macdonald and Catherine Macdonald; m. 27 June 1865 Mary Elizabeth MacDonald, and they had six children, M. Josephine, W. Jane, S. Francis, C. Helena, A. Florence, and A. J. Louis; Roman Catholic; d. 16 July 1919 in Charlottetown. Macdonald, a Conservative, was first elected to the House of Assembly in the 1870 general election for 3rd Kings. He was re-elected in the general election of 1873. In September of that year he resigned from the Assembly to run successfully in the special federal election in the riding of King's. He was re-elected in the federal elections of 1878, 1882, 1891, and 1896, and defeated in the federal elections of 1874, 1887, and 1900. On 2 June 1915, Macdonald was appointed Lieutenant-Governor for the province. His nephew, Aeneas MacDonald", served as his Private Secretary. Macdonald came from a family of merchants and politicians. They were considered to be a Prince Edward Island Scots Catholic aristocracy due to their relative affluence, political involvement, and ancestry. Their status was due to their dominance of the political and economic life of central Kings County for over a century. In 1830 Macdonald's father Hugh Macdonald and uncle Angus Macdonald were elected to the House of Assembly. The brothers were among the first Catholic members of the Island Legislature. Macdonald's brother Andrew Archibald was a Father of Confederation, a member of Executive Council, and Lieutenant-Governor, as well as a member of the Legislative Council and a Member of the Flouse of Assembly. Another brother, Archibald John", was also a Member of the House of Assembly, later of the Legislative Assembly, and a member of Executive Council. Macdonald's early education was at Georgetown Grammar School and Central Academy, following which he became a merchant at Montague Bridge, and a partner in the firm of A. A. Macdonald and Brothers shortly after its founding in 1851. The firm, originally owned by his brother Andrew, shipped grain, potatoes, and lumber to New England, Newfoundland, and Great Britain, and imported manufactured goods for sale in their Georgetown and Montague Bridge stores.A. A. Macdonald and Brothers was also involved in the shipbuilding industry. In the 1860s and 1870s, the firm became involved in the Gulf of St. Lawrence mackerel fishery. Beyond his political and professional life, Macdonald served as a local commissioner of the Exhibition of Local Industry for Prince Edward Island, and was a captain in a local militia. For a large part of his life Macdonald lived in Panmure Island and Montague Bridge before moving to Charlottetown in 1915 to serve as Lieutenant-Governor. He died 16 July 1919 while still in office. Mary Macdonald was born ca. 1844 to John Small MacDonald and Isabella MacDonald. Her father served in the provincial Legislature and on Executive Council.