Donald Aeneas MacDonell
Encyclopedia
Donald Aeneas MacDonell was a soldier and political figure in Upper Canada
.
He was born in Charlottenburgh Township in Upper Canada
in 1794, the son of Miles Macdonell
, and studied with John Strachan
in Cornwall
. He served in the British Army
during the War of 1812
, reaching the rank of lieutenant. In 1834, he was appointed justice of the peace for the Eastern District
and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
; he was reelected in 1836 but ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
in 1841. He was elected to the assembly in 1844 and then defeated again in 1848. MacDonell also served in the local militia, serving as commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of Stormont from 1846 to 1850. He also led an expedition to Beauharnois
during the Lower Canada Rebellion
.
In 1848, he became warden for the Kingston Penitentiary
and he served until 1869.
He retired in Brockville
, where he died in 1879.
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
.
He was born in Charlottenburgh Township in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
in 1794, the son of Miles Macdonell
Miles Macdonell
Miles MacDonell was the first governor of the Red River Colony , a 19th-century Scottish settlement located in present-day Manitoba and North Dakota.He was born in Inverness, Scotland, around 1767...
, and studied with John Strachan
John Strachan
John Strachan was an influential figure in Upper Canada and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto.-Early life:Strachan was the youngest of six children born to a quarry worker in Aberdeen, Scotland. He graduated from King's College, Aberdeen in 1797...
in Cornwall
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
. He served in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, reaching the rank of lieutenant. In 1834, he was appointed justice of the peace for the Eastern District
Eastern District, Upper Canada
Eastern District was one of four districts of the Province of Quebec created in 1788 in the western reaches of the Montreal District and partitioned in 1791 to create the new colony of Upper Canada. Known as Lunenburg District until 1792, it was abolished in 1849...
and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was the elected legislature for the province of Upper Canada and functioned as the province's lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada...
; he was reelected in 1836 but ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the...
in 1841. He was elected to the assembly in 1844 and then defeated again in 1848. MacDonell also served in the local militia, serving as commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of Stormont from 1846 to 1850. He also led an expedition to Beauharnois
Beauharnois, Quebec
Beauharnois is a city located in the Beauharnois-Salaberry Regional County Municipality of southwestern Quebec, Canada and is part of Greater Montreal Area. The city's population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 11,918...
during the Lower Canada Rebellion
Lower Canada Rebellion
The Lower Canada Rebellion , commonly referred to as the Patriots' War by Quebeckers, is the name given to the armed conflict between the rebels of Lower Canada and the British colonial power of that province...
.
In 1848, he became warden for the Kingston Penitentiary
Kingston Penitentiary
Kingston Penitentiary is a maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario between King Street West and Lake Ontario....
and he served until 1869.
He retired in Brockville
Brockville, Ontario
Brockville is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Though it serves as the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Brockville is politically independent and is grouped with Leeds and Grenville for census purposes only.Known as the "City of the 1000...
, where he died in 1879.