Publications

A selection of published work by Ged Martin.

Favourite Son?: Names and Numbers, Sources, Abbreviations

Favourite Son?: John A. Macdonald and the Voters of Kingston 1841─1891

 

by Ged Martin

 

This is a book about the political relations between Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John Macdonald, and the city of Kingston which he represented in parliament for over thirty-eight years between 1844 and his death in 1891. 

Favourite Son? was published, in a handsome volume, by the Kingston (Ontario) Historical Society in 2010. I am grateful to the Kingston Historical Society for permission to re-publish on my website.

Read More ...

II: 'My Duty and My Interest', 1841-1857

CHAPTER TWO

‘MY DUTY AND MY INTEREST’, 1841-1857

 ‘I carried my musket in 37’

‘Macdonald did not form his political ideas, interests or associations suddenly in 1844 when he was first elected member of parliament for Kingston.’

Read More ...

IV: 'Never Among Us', 1867-1874

CHAPTER FOUR

‘NEVER AMONG US’: 1867-1874

The Coming of Confederation

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that, by the early eighteen sixties, the initial chapter of John A. Macdonald’s political career was running out of plot.

Read More ...

VI: Voters and Voter Management

CHAPTER SIX:

VOTERS AND VOTER MANAGEMENT

I: Introduction

Three main questions arise in relation to voters and voter management, each of which divides into several sub-questions.

Read More ...

I: 'Macdonald of Kingston'

CHAPTER ONE:  ‘MACDONALD OF KINGSTON’

John A. Macdonald: Father of Confederation  

Over a century after his death in 1891, John A. Macdonald remains the most famous product of the Ontario city of Kingston, and also its longest-serving member of parliament.

Read More ...

III: 'Kingston Had Not Been A Sufferer', 1857-1864

CHAPTER THREE

‘KINGSTON HAD NOT BEEN A SUFFERER’, 1857-1864

The story of John A. Macdonald’s easy victory in December 1857 is incomplete without taking note of the disappointing sequel.

Read More ...

V: 'A Worn-Out Relic of Decayed Toryism', 1874-1891

CHAPTER FIVE

‘A WORN OUT RELIC OF DECAYED TORYISM’: 1874-1891

Formally, Macdonald headed a 104-member caucus when the second parliament of the Dominion gathered in the spring of 1873. In a House of Commons of 200 members, this represented a narrow enough majority, although his support was initially larger thanks to the uncommitted ‘loose fish’ who still floated alongside official party lines.

Read More ...

VII: The Kingston Economy and the Finances of John A. Macdonald

CHAPTER SEVEN:

THE KINGSTON ECONOMY AND THE FINANCES OF JOHN A. MACDONALD

Kingston in Decline?

The interpretation that Kingston was in ‘decline’ in the second half of the nineteenth century has been persuasively and comprehensively outlined by Brian S. Osborne. 

Read More ...

More Articles …

  1. Conclusion