Thomas D'Arcy McGee

Born in County Louth, Ireland, in 1825, Thomas D'Arcy McGee first made his name as a writer and newspaper editor. After time in the United States, he settled in Montreal in the 1850s and entered Canadian politics, where his gift for language quickly made him a memorable public figure.

McGee is best remembered as a leading advocate of Confederation. He argued for a united country and spoke often about building a political community broad enough to include people of different origins and faiths. Alongside his political work, he also wrote poetry and prose, which helped secure his reputation as one of the most literary of the Fathers of Confederation.

His life ended violently in Ottawa in 1868, when he was assassinated, making his death one of the most dramatic moments in early Canadian political history. Today he is remembered both as a nation-builder and as a writer whose speeches and essays carried unusual warmth, ambition, and conviction.