William Ross Macdonald

William Ross Macdonald, PC OC CD QC (December 25, 1891 – May 28, 1976), served as the 21st Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1968 to 1974, and as 22nd Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada from 1949 to 1953.

The Honourable William Ross Macdonald PC OC CD QC
Macdonald in the Speaker's Chair of the Canadian House of Commons
21st Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
In office July 4, 1968 – April 10, 1974
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor General	Roland Michener Jules Léger
Premier	John Robarts Bill Davis
Preceded by	William Earl Rowe
Succeeded by	Pauline Mills McGibbon
Leader of the Government in the Senate
In office April 22, 1963 – February 2, 1964
Prime Minister	Lester B. Pearson
Preceded by	Alfred Johnson Brooks
Succeeded by	John Joseph Connolly
In office October 14, 1953 – June 20, 1957
Prime Minister	Louis St. Laurent
Preceded by	Wishart McLea Robertson
Succeeded by	John Thomas Haig
Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
In office June 20, 1957 – April 22, 1963
Preceded by	John Thomas Haig
Succeeded by	Alfred Johnson Brooks
18th Solicitor General of Canada
In office January 12, 1954 – June 20, 1957
Prime Minister	Louis St. Laurent
Preceded by	Ralph Campney
Succeeded by	Léon Balcer
Senator for Brantford, Ontario
In office June 12, 1953 – December 22, 1967
Appointed by	Louis St. Laurent
22nd Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada
In office September 15, 1949 – June 11, 1953
Monarch	George VI Elizabeth II
Governor General	The Viscount Alexander of Tunis Georges Vanier
Prime Minister	Louis St. Laurent
Preceded by	Gaspard Fauteux
Succeeded by	Louis-René Beaudoin
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament for Brantford
In office October 14, 1935 – June 27, 1949
Preceded by	Robert Edwy Ryerson
Succeeded by	constituency abolished
Member of Parliament for Brantford City
In office June 27, 1949 – August 10, 1953
Preceded by	new constituency
Succeeded by	James Elisha Brown
Personal details
Born	December 25, 1891 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	May 28, 1976 (aged 84) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Alma mater	University of Toronto Osgoode Hall Law School
Profession	Lawyer
Military service
Branch/service	Canadian Expeditionary Force
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	4th Battalion 2nd Cycle Corps
Battles/wars	First World War

Early life

Macdonald was born in Toronto, Ontario, to a dry goods merchant who had immigrated from Scotland. He went on to study law at the University of Toronto and the Osgoode Hall Law School. Upon completion, he practised law in Brantford, Ontario, and served with the 2nd Cycle Corps and 4th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the First World War.

In 1921, Macdonald married Muriel Whittaker.

Political career

Macdonald sought Liberal Party nomination to run for election to the House of Commons of Canada for the 1926 election, but lost the nomination by a single vote. He won the nomination for the Brantford riding in the next election, but lost the election. Macdonald was elected in the 1935 election. He served as Member of Parliament (MP) until 1953.

During World War II, Macdonald was a staunch supporter of conscription. His position is made clear in this wartime quote taken from a Canadian newspaper, "There is a victory to be won and that can be accomplished only by every Canadian taking part." After the war, he served as Deputy Speaker (1945–1949) and then as Speaker of the House of Commons (1949–1953).

While serving as Speaker of the House of Commons Macdonald made a famous ruling, banning musical instruments from being played in the Chamber, on June 3, 1950. The ban came about after Daniel McIvor MP for Fort William played a flute while waiting for a vote call.[1]

In 1953, Governor General Vincent Massey, on the advice of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent, appointed Macdonald to the Senate of Canada, where he became Leader of the Government in the Canadian Senate and a minister without portfolio in the Canadian Cabinet. From 1954 until the Liberal government's defeat in the 1957 election, Macdonald served as Solicitor General of Canada.

With the defeat of the Liberals, he became Leader of the Opposition in the Canadian Senate, and served again as Government Leader when the Liberals returned to power in 1963. He retired from the Cabinet in 1964. From 1964 to 1972, he was the second Chancellor of Waterloo Lutheran University.[2]

Governor General Roland Michener, on the advice of Lester Pearson, appointed Macdonald to serve as Lieutenant Governor from 1968 to 1974. In this role, he was involved with many service groups, such as the Canadian Order of Foresters and the Kiwanis Club.

In 1974, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.[3] The Ontario School for the Blind in Brantford was renamed the W. Ross Macdonald School in his honour.

He died in Toronto in 1976.

Freemasonry

William Macdonald was a devoted Freemason initiated on March 17, 1917 at the Doric Lodge No. 121 in Brantford, Ontario.

References

1. "Bag Pipes And Tin Horns Under Ban in Commons". The Lethbridge Herald. XLIII (146). June 3, 1950. p. 1.
2. "Chancellors from 1961 to present". Wilfrid Laurier University. Archived from the original on March 28, 2007.
3. Order of Canada citation

External links

• William Ross Macdonald – Parliament of Canada biography