Alexander Mackenzie (politician)

The Honourable Alexander Mackenzie PC
Mackenzie in 1878
2nd Prime Minister of Canada
In office November 7, 1873 – October 8, 1878
Monarch	Victoria
Governor General	The Earl of Dufferin
Preceded by	John A. Macdonald
Succeeded by	John A. Macdonald
Leader of the Liberal Party
In office March 6, 1873 – May 4, 1880
Preceded by	Edward Blake
Succeeded by	Edward Blake
Member of the House of Commons of Canada
In office September 20, 1867 – April 17, 1892
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Personal details
Born	(1822-01-28)January 28, 1822 Logierait, Scotland
Died	April 17, 1892(1892-04-17) (aged 70) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Resting place	Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia, Ontario
Political party	Liberal
Spouses	Helen Neil ​ ​ (m. 1845; died 1852)​ Jane Sym ​ (m. 1853)​ [1]
Children	3
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Canada
Branch/service	Canadian militia
Years of service	1866–1874
Rank	Major
Unit	27th (Lambton) Battalion of Infantry
Battles/wars	Fenian Raids

Alexander Mackenzie PC (January 28, 1822 – April 17, 1892) was a Canadian politician who served as the second prime minister of Canada, in office from 1873 to 1878.

Mackenzie was born in Logierait, Perthshire, Scotland. He left school at the age of 13, following his father's death, to help his widowed mother, and trained as a stonemason. Mackenzie immigrated to the Province of Canada when he was 19, settling in what became Ontario. His masonry business prospered, allowing him to pursue other interests – such as the editorship of a pro-Reformist newspaper called the Lambton Shield.^[2] Mackenzie was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada in 1862, as a supporter of George Brown.

In 1867, Mackenzie was elected to the new House of Commons of Canada for the Liberal Party. He became leader of the party (thus Leader of the Opposition) in mid-1873, and a few months later succeeded John A. Macdonald as prime minister, following Macdonald's resignation in the aftermath of the Pacific Scandal. Mackenzie and the Liberals won a clear majority at the 1874 election. He was popular among the general public for his humble background and consistent democratic principles.

As prime minister, Mackenzie continued the nation-building programme that had been begun by his predecessor. His government established the Supreme Court of Canada and Royal Military College of Canada, and created the District of Keewatin to better administer Canada's newly acquired western territories. However, it made little progress on the transcontinental railway, and struggled to deal with the aftermath of the Panic of 1873. At the 1878 election, Mackenzie's government suffered a landslide defeat. He remained leader of the Liberal Party for another two years, and continued on as a Member of Parliament (MP) until his death, due to a stroke.