Major John Augustine MacDonald

MACDONALD, MAJOR JOHN AUGUSTINE, soldier and business person; b. 4 February 1913 in Cardigan, son of John Alexander MacDonald* and Marie Josephine MacDonald; m. 1 October 1941 Margaret Mary Smith, and they had four children, Judy, Ian, Heather, and John; Roman Catholic; d. 4 January 1961 in Cardigan. Macdonald, a Conservative, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election held 4 June 1945 for 3rd Kings. At the time of the election, he was convalescing in hospital from war injuries. He was re-elected in the general election of 1951. He was defeated in the general elections of 1947 and 1955. In 1949 and 1953, Macdonald was unsuccessful as a candidate in the federal elections for King's. He was elected to the House of Commons for King's in the federal election of 1957 and was re-elected in 1958. Following Macdonald's death, his wife, Margaret Mary, was elected to the House of Commons for the riding of King's in a by-election held 29 May 1961. She was re-elected in the federal election of 1962. She was PEI's first female Member of Parliament. Macdonald's father, John Alexander MacDonald*, served in the Legislative Assembly, the House of Commons, and in the Senate. Macdonald received his early education at the Cardigan School. He then attended St. Dunstan's High School and St. Dunstan's College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts and a Commerce Certificate in 1938. Macdonald enlisted in the Canadian armed forces as a Private in 1939, and in his military career worked up through the ranks to Lieutenant. He served as a Commanding Officer of the "B" Squadron, 17,h Reconnaissance Regiment, and as Commander of the North Nova Scotia Highlanders. Wounded on 25 July 1944, while leading his company through heavy fighting at Caen, Macdonald returned to Canada where he remained hospitalized until April of 1946. In his private career, Macdonald participated in the family business of J. A. MacDonald and Company Limited, serving as the firm's secretary and president. He was a merchant specializing in the dealing of produce. Macdonald was a member of the Kings County Board of Trade, the Kings County Hospital Board, the Prince Edward Island Federation of Agriculture, and the Prince Edward Island Plowing Match and Agricultural Association. He was also a member of the Island Historical Society, the Red Cross, and Children's Aid Societies. John A. Macdonald died 4 January 1961, at his home, while serving as a Member of the House of Commons. Margaret Macdonald was the daughter of Richard C. Smith and Alice Smith of East Chezzetcook, Nova Scotia. Margaret Macdonald died 3 February 1968 in Halifax.