Rolland Macdonald was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Canada West. He represented Cornwall 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...

 from 1844 to 1846.

He was born in Fort William

Fort William, Ontario

Fort William was a city in Northern Ontario, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Ever since then it has been the largest city in Northwestern...

, the son of John Macdonald (Garth), and was educated in Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

. Macdonald was called to the bar in 1832 and set up practice in Saint Catharines. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Cornwall seat in the assembly in 1841. Macdonald resigned his seat in 1846 to allow John Hillyard Cameron

John Hillyard Cameron

John Hillyard Cameron, QC was an Ontario lawyer, businessman and political figure. He was a Conservative member of the Canadian House of Commons representing Peel from 1867 to 1872 and Cardwell from 1872 until his death.He was born in Blendecques, France in 1817...

 to run for a seat in the assembly. In 1856, he was named Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

. Macdonald served as Clerk of the Peace and County Crown Attorney for Lincoln

Lincoln County, Ontario

Lincoln County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.The county was formed in 1792. In 1845, the southern portion of Lincoln County was separated to form Welland County....

. He was a captain in the local militia during the Upper Canada Rebellion

Upper Canada Rebellion

The Upper Canada Rebellion was, along with the Lower Canada Rebellion in Lower Canada, a rebellion against the British colonial government in 1837 and 1838. Collectively they are also known as the Rebellions of 1837.-Issues:...

, later reaching the rank of lieutenant-colonel. In 1873, Macdonald was named judge in the court for Welland County

Welland County, Ontario

Welland County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.The county was formed in 1851 from Lincoln County. The county was named from the Welland River. The river got its name from John Grave Simcoe who named it after a stream in Lincolnshire, England...

.