William Josiah MacDonald (November 17, 1873 - March 29, 1946) was a politician from the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

.

MacDonald was born in Potosi, Wisconsin

Potosi, Wisconsin

Potosi is a village in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 711 at the 2000 census. The village is in the Town of Potosi.-Claim to fame:...

. He attended the common schools and graduated from the high school at Fairmont, Minnesota

Fairmont, Minnesota

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,889 people and 2,962 families residing in the city. The population density was 747.5 people per square mile . There were 5,036 housing units at an average density of 345.7 per square mile...

. He attended the University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...

 at Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

 and Georgetown Law School in Washington, D.C. He was admitted to the bar

Bar (law)

Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...

 and commenced practice at Calumet, Michigan

Calumet, Michigan

Calumet is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County, in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, that was once at the center of the mining industry of the Upper Peninsula. Also known as Red Jacket, the village includes the Calumet Downtown Historic District, listed on the National...

 in 1895. He served as prosecuting attorney for Keweenaw County

Keweenaw County, Michigan

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,301 people, 998 households, and 604 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were 2,327 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...

 from 1898 to 1904 and prosecuting attorney for Houghton County

Houghton County, Michigan

-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 36,016 people, 13,793 households, and 8,137 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 17,748 housing...

 from 1906 to 1912. In 1911, he was an unsuccessful candidate for circuit judge in the 12th District of Michigan.

In 1912, MacDonald ran as a candidate for the Progressive Party

Progressive Party (United States, 1912)

The Progressive Party of 1912 was an American political party. It was formed after a split in the Republican Party between President William Howard Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt....

 against incumbent Republican H. Olin Young

H. Olin Young

Horace Olin Young was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Young was born in New Albion, New York and attended the common schools and high school of New Albion, New York...

 to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from the Michigan's 12th congressional district

Michigan's 12th congressional district

Michigan's 12th congressional district is a United States Congressional District located in Detroit's inner suburbs to the north, along the Interstate 696 corridor in Macomb and Oakland counties, as well as a portion of Macomb north of the corridor....

. Although unofficial returns showed that MacDonald had won the seat, some votes were not included in the official count by the state board of canvassers due to a mistake in how MacDonald's name appeared on the ballot in Ontonagon County

Ontonagon County, Michigan

-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,818 people, 3,456 households, and 2,225 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 people per square mile . There were 5,404 housing units...

. H. Olin Young presented credentials as a Member-elect to the 63rd United States Congress

63rd United States Congress

- House of Representatives:*Democratic : 291 *Republican : 134*Progressive : 9*Independent : 1TOTAL members: 435-Senate:*President of the Senate: Thomas R. Marshall*President pro tempore: James P. Clarke-Senate:...

 and served from March 4, 1913, until his resignation, effective May 16, 1913, while a contest for the seat was pending. Subsequently, the House Committee on Elections

United States House Committee on Elections

The United States House Committee on Elections is a former standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.Article 1, section 5, of the Constitution of the United States specifies: "Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns, and Qualifications of its own Members." The...

 unanimously reported a resolution to the full house awarding the 12th District seat to MacDonald, who took the oath of office August 26, 1913 and served until March 3, 1915. In 1914 and again in 1916, MacDonald lost to Republican William F. James. MacDonald and Roy O. Woodruff

Roy O. Woodruff

Roy Orchard Woodruff was a politician, soldier, printer and dentist from the U.S. state of Michigan....

 (10th district

Michigan's 10th congressional district

Michigan's 10th congressional district is a United States congressional district in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, covering a region known as the Thumb. It consists of all of Huron, Lapeer, St...

) were the only two Michigander's elected to the U.S. House from the Progressive Party.

MacDonald resumed the practice of law in Springfield, Illinois

Springfield, Illinois

Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...

 in 1917. He moved to East St. Louis, Illinois

East St. Louis, Illinois

East St. Louis is a city located in St. Clair County, Illinois, USA, directly across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri in the Metro-East region of Southern Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 27,006, less than one-third of its peak of 82,366 in 1950...

 in 1922 and engaged in the practice of his profession. William J. MacDonald died in Chicago and was interred in Graceland Cemetery

Graceland Cemetery

Graceland Cemetery is a large Victorian era cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, USA. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park Road...

, Chicago.