Alexander Campbell

Born in Hedon, England, in 1822, Alexander Campbell came to Canada as a child and later built a successful legal career in Kingston, Upper Canada. He was called to the bar in 1843 and became a law partner and longtime political ally of John A. Macdonald, placing him near the center of Conservative politics in the years leading up to Confederation.

Campbell is best remembered as one of the Fathers of Confederation. He took part in the Charlottetown and Québec conferences in 1864, where plans for a united Canada were debated and refined. After Confederation in 1867, he served in the federal government in several senior roles and spent many years as a senator.

Late in his career, Campbell became lieutenant governor of Ontario, a post he held until his death in Toronto in 1892. Although he is often less famous than some of his contemporaries, he played an important behind-the-scenes role in the political foundations of modern Canada.