Jack MacDonald (Hamilton politician)
Encyclopedia
John A. "Jack" MacDonald (1927 – May 5, 2010) was a politician, businessman, and journalist in Hamilton
, Ontario
, Canada
. He served as Mayor of Hamilton from 1976 to 1980, and wrote a column in the Hamilton Spectator newspaper for many years.
and moved to Hamilton, Ontario
in 1942. At the age of 15 he quit school and at 16 joined the Canadian Navy, becoming a qualified torpedo man. After the Second World War he apprenticed with his father and uncle as a plumber, before starting his own heating and cooling business in 1951. In 1949 he became the youngest alderman ever elected in the City of Hamilton. He was also the youngest person to be elected to public office at that time in Canada. In 1953 he became deputy mayor. He ran for Mayor of Hamilton in 1956 and 1962 but lost.
He was elected citizen of the year in 1972 and ran again for mayor in 1976, this time winning. He was re-elected again in 1978.
above it, was formally endorsed by the provincial government later in the year. He also endorsed a pledge by the federal government to assist in construction of a National Hockey League
-sized arena for the city in 1979, and argued that Hamilton deserved a team in the next NHL expansion. In 1980, the city approved an $80 million plan for a football stadium and arena.
In 1979, he approved a freeway construction project which eventually became known as the Red Hill Creek Expressway. MacDonald himself owned a house on the Red Hill Valley, where the highway corridor was slated to run. He was quoted as saying, "I would prefer it in somebody else's backyard but I've got a greater responsibility than that". In 1980, he supported plans by the Hamilton Harbour commissioners to build for an industrial area on the city's Beach Strip. He also encouraged airport expansion and upgrades to the city's transit system.
He was an early supporter of one-tier government for the Hamilton region, and in May 1978 supported a provincial commission report which called for Hamilton to be amalgamated with neighbouring municipalities. This plan was opposed by many in the municipalities, who worried that the city would burden them with financial costs and overwhelm their local identities. The provincial government rejected the one-tier recommendation and MacDonald, in protest, insisted that the province pay the full cost of the commission report.
MacDonald endorsed property tax assessment reform in 1978, noting that the city had lost $1.5 million in appeals the previous year. Conservative in matters of perceived government interference, he opposed plans for mandatory smoke detectors in Hamilton apartments and was openly contemptuous of the city's anti-smoking by-law.
With no strong opposition candidates, MacDonald was easily re-elected mayor in November 1978. He was unexpectedly defeated in 1980, losing to a 73-year old. He was a former Chairman of the regional conservation authority and a former alderman for the City of Hamilton. William Powell
who was unknown before the election. The Globe and Mail
described the result as a "major upset". Powell won the election by promising integrity in government and by criticizing MacDonald as arrogant and uncompromising, describing him as "a good salesman but a poor manager". MacDonald launched a strong bid for re-election in 1982, but lost to Bob Morrow
.
It has been reported that MacDonald reached an agreement with Toronto Maple Leafs
owner Harold Ballard
near the end of his mandate, to bring the Colorado Rockies
hockey franchise to Hamilton in 1982. His successor is said to have rejected the arrangement, causing the plan to fall through.
at the federal level. He supported Paul Hellyer
's bid for the party leadership in 1976, although he also became an admirer of Joe Clark
's abilities during the same campaign. During his tenure as mayor, he once presented Clark with a novelty "Trudeau pencil", mocking Liberal
Prime Minister
Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The pencil had an eraser on both ends, and no point.
In 1979, he was an honorary pallbearer at the funeral of former prime minister John Diefenbaker
.
He campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons
in the 1984 federal election
, running for the Progressive Conservative Party in Hamilton East. The PCs did not have a strong support base in this region, and he finished third with 30.5 per cent against Liberal
candidate Sheila Copps
and New Democrat
Dave Christopherson
. This loss effectively ended his career as a politician. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government under Brian Mulroney
, and MacDonald was appointed to the federal parole board.
over Morrow for mayor.
He remained a supporter of the Progressive Conservative Party at the federal level, and wrote pieces supporting party leader Jean Charest
while criticizing the rival right-wing Reform Party
of Preston Manning
. He voted for Joe Clark to return as Progressive Conservative leader in 1999, although he also argued that both Clark and Manning would need to leave the federal scene for a united conservative party to emerge.
MacDonald supported the Progressive Conservative
government of Mike Harris
at the provincial level, although he also wrote a piece strongly critical of the government just prior to the 1999 provincial election
. MacDonald argued that Harris "betrayed" Hamilton-Wentworth by refusing to impose one-tier government, and openly speculated about voting against the Progressive Conservatives for the first time in his life. He was later reconciled with the government, and argued that Harris was the logical choice to lead a united federal conservative party.
He retired from the Spectator in late 2002.
's bid to become mayor of Hamilton in 2003,, and became involved with the new Conservative Party of Canada
in early 2004. There was speculation throughout 2004 that the Red Hill Creek Expressway would be renamed after MacDonald, but this proposal was defeated by council in 2005. He underwent open heart surgery in September 2004.
When asked about his legacy after being discharged from hospital, he said, "There are very, very few people who are neutral about Jack MacDonald, and I like it that way".
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served as Mayor of Hamilton from 1976 to 1980, and wrote a column in the Hamilton Spectator newspaper for many years.
Early life and career
MacDonald was born 1927 in London, OntarioLondon, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
and moved to Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
in 1942. At the age of 15 he quit school and at 16 joined the Canadian Navy, becoming a qualified torpedo man. After the Second World War he apprenticed with his father and uncle as a plumber, before starting his own heating and cooling business in 1951. In 1949 he became the youngest alderman ever elected in the City of Hamilton. He was also the youngest person to be elected to public office at that time in Canada. In 1953 he became deputy mayor. He ran for Mayor of Hamilton in 1956 and 1962 but lost.
He was elected citizen of the year in 1972 and ran again for mayor in 1976, this time winning. He was re-elected again in 1978.
Community service
- Member of three member Steering Committee, responsible for present Hamilton East Kiwanis Boy's Club.
- Lt. Governor for District 6, Chairman of the Board of Hamilton East Kiwanis Boy's and Girls Club which provides service to over 3000 boys and girls in Hamilton East.
- Hamilton East Kiwanis member for over 50 years.
- Original member of the Board of Kiwanis Homes.
- Chairman of United Appeal.
- Vounteer Chairman for United Services.
- President of Kiwanis Hamilton East 1971.
- Vice-Chirman of Health Disciplines Board of the Province of Ontario, which deals with five health disciplines throughout Ontario 1973-1976.
- Life member of YMCA.
- Chairman, 1976 Fundraiser Campaign to rebuild downtown YMCA.
- Volunteer Chairman of Grey Cup Festival in Hamilton 1972.
- Chairman 1970 Keep Football in Hamilton Committee, built North Stands 1972.
- Awarded the Distinguished Citizen of the Year 1973 for voluntary community work, particularly the Grey Cup Festival.
- Established the committee which led to the formation of Opera Hamilton.
- Original Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee for the John G. Diefenbaker Foundation.
- Awarded the Wright Award for Originality in Housing the Kiwanis Barton Street Project.
- Honor for Citizenship during the Cities 150th birthday celebrations 1976 and a $40,000.00 bursary named at McMaster.
- Presented the Fred McAllister Award for 1983. This award is presented annually to one judged the Outstanding Kiwanian in Eastern Canada and the Caribbean.
- Inducted into the Gallery of Distinction 1993.
- Received honourary doctorate from McMaster University.
Mayor of Hamilton
MacDonald was a colourful figure in office, and endorsed several large development projects for the city. In 1978, he led the city council into accepting a multi-million dollar plan for an office tower and convention centre in downtown Hamilton. The plan, which resulted in the Hamilton Convention Centre and the Ellen Fairclough BuildingEllen Fairclough Building
Ellen Fairclough Building, 20-storey high rise office building built in 1981 is the 4th tallest building in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It's situated on the corner of King Street East and MacNab Street South....
above it, was formally endorsed by the provincial government later in the year. He also endorsed a pledge by the federal government to assist in construction of a National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
-sized arena for the city in 1979, and argued that Hamilton deserved a team in the next NHL expansion. In 1980, the city approved an $80 million plan for a football stadium and arena.
In 1979, he approved a freeway construction project which eventually became known as the Red Hill Creek Expressway. MacDonald himself owned a house on the Red Hill Valley, where the highway corridor was slated to run. He was quoted as saying, "I would prefer it in somebody else's backyard but I've got a greater responsibility than that". In 1980, he supported plans by the Hamilton Harbour commissioners to build for an industrial area on the city's Beach Strip. He also encouraged airport expansion and upgrades to the city's transit system.
He was an early supporter of one-tier government for the Hamilton region, and in May 1978 supported a provincial commission report which called for Hamilton to be amalgamated with neighbouring municipalities. This plan was opposed by many in the municipalities, who worried that the city would burden them with financial costs and overwhelm their local identities. The provincial government rejected the one-tier recommendation and MacDonald, in protest, insisted that the province pay the full cost of the commission report.
MacDonald endorsed property tax assessment reform in 1978, noting that the city had lost $1.5 million in appeals the previous year. Conservative in matters of perceived government interference, he opposed plans for mandatory smoke detectors in Hamilton apartments and was openly contemptuous of the city's anti-smoking by-law.
With no strong opposition candidates, MacDonald was easily re-elected mayor in November 1978. He was unexpectedly defeated in 1980, losing to a 73-year old. He was a former Chairman of the regional conservation authority and a former alderman for the City of Hamilton. William Powell
William Powell (Canadian politician)
William Powell was Mayor of Hamilton, Canada, from 1980 to 1982.Born in St. Helen’s, Lancashire, England, his family emigrated to Canada in 1911...
who was unknown before the election. The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
described the result as a "major upset". Powell won the election by promising integrity in government and by criticizing MacDonald as arrogant and uncompromising, describing him as "a good salesman but a poor manager". MacDonald launched a strong bid for re-election in 1982, but lost to Bob Morrow
Bob Morrow
Robert Maxwell Morrow UE is a Canadian politician, who served as mayor of Hamilton, Ontario from 1982 to 2000. He was the longest-serving mayor in the city's history....
.
It has been reported that MacDonald reached an agreement with Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
owner Harold Ballard
Harold Ballard
Harold E. Ballard was an owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League as well as their home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. A member of the Leafs organization from 1940 and a senior executive from 1957, he became part-owner of the team in 1961 and was majority owner from February...
near the end of his mandate, to bring the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies (NHL)
The Colorado Rockies were an American professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League that played in Denver, Colorado, from 1976 to 1982. They were a relocation of the Kansas City Scouts, a 1974 expansion team. The franchise moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1982 and was...
hockey franchise to Hamilton in 1982. His successor is said to have rejected the arrangement, causing the plan to fall through.
Federal politics
MacDonald was a strong supporter of the Progressive Conservative PartyProgressive Conservative Party of Canada
The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada was a Canadian political party with a centre-right stance on economic issues and, after the 1970s, a centrist stance on social issues....
at the federal level. He supported Paul Hellyer
Paul Hellyer
Paul Theodore Hellyer, PC is a Canadian engineer, politician, writer and commentator who has had a long and varied career. He is the longest serving current member of the Privy Council, just ahead of Prince Philip.-Early life:...
's bid for the party leadership in 1976, although he also became an admirer of Joe Clark
Joe Clark
Charles Joseph "Joe" Clark, is a Canadian statesman, businessman, and university professor, and former journalist and politician...
's abilities during the same campaign. During his tenure as mayor, he once presented Clark with a novelty "Trudeau pencil", mocking Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The pencil had an eraser on both ends, and no point.
In 1979, he was an honorary pallbearer at the funeral of former prime minister John Diefenbaker
John Diefenbaker
John George Diefenbaker, PC, CH, QC was the 13th Prime Minister of Canada, serving from June 21, 1957, to April 22, 1963...
.
He campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
in the 1984 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
, running for the Progressive Conservative Party in Hamilton East. The PCs did not have a strong support base in this region, and he finished third with 30.5 per cent against Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
candidate Sheila Copps
Sheila Copps
Sheila Maureen Copps, PC is a former Canadian politician who also served as Deputy Prime Minister of Canada from November 4, 1993 to April 30, 1996 and June 19, 1996 to June 11, 1997....
and New Democrat
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
Dave Christopherson
David Christopherson
David Christopherson is a Canadian politician. Since 2004, he has represented the riding of Hamilton Centre in the Canadian House of Commons. He previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the provincial government of Bob Rae...
. This loss effectively ended his career as a politician. The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government under Brian Mulroney
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney, was the 18th Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by the introduction of major economic reforms, such as the Canada-U.S...
, and MacDonald was appointed to the federal parole board.
Journalist
MacDonald wrote on political matters for the Hamilton Spectator throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s. He continued to support plans for the Red Hill Creek Expressway and regional amalgamation, and frequently wrote in support of mayor Bob Morrow and regional chair Terry Cooke. In 2000, he supported Bob WadeRobert E. Wade
Robert E. Wade served as mayor of Hamilton, Ontario from 2000 to 2003. He currently resides in the Hamilton community of Ancaster.Robert Wade moved to Ancaster from London, Ontario in 1960 after his employer London Life Insurance Company transferred him. He was first elected to the Ancaster Town...
over Morrow for mayor.
He remained a supporter of the Progressive Conservative Party at the federal level, and wrote pieces supporting party leader Jean Charest
Jean Charest
John James "Jean" Charest, PC, MNA is a Canadian politician who has been the 29th Premier of Quebec since 2003. He was leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1993 to 1998 and has been leader of the Quebec Liberal Party since 1998....
while criticizing the rival right-wing Reform Party
Reform Party of Canada
The Reform Party of Canada was a Canadian federal political party that existed from 1987 to 2000. It was originally founded as a Western Canada-based protest party, but attempted to expand eastward in the 1990s. It viewed itself as a populist party....
of Preston Manning
Preston Manning
Ernest Preston Manning, CC is a Canadian politician. He was the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance...
. He voted for Joe Clark to return as Progressive Conservative leader in 1999, although he also argued that both Clark and Manning would need to leave the federal scene for a united conservative party to emerge.
MacDonald supported the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
government of Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
at the provincial level, although he also wrote a piece strongly critical of the government just prior to the 1999 provincial election
Ontario general election, 1999
An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
. MacDonald argued that Harris "betrayed" Hamilton-Wentworth by refusing to impose one-tier government, and openly speculated about voting against the Progressive Conservatives for the first time in his life. He was later reconciled with the government, and argued that Harris was the logical choice to lead a united federal conservative party.
He retired from the Spectator in late 2002.
Since 2002
MacDonald supported Larry Di IanniLarry Di Ianni
Larry Di Ianni served as mayor of Hamilton, Ontario, from 2003 to 2006.-Early life:Di Ianni immigrated to Canada from Italy as a young boy. Di Ianni has previously worked as a high school teacher and principal...
's bid to become mayor of Hamilton in 2003,, and became involved with the new Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
in early 2004. There was speculation throughout 2004 that the Red Hill Creek Expressway would be renamed after MacDonald, but this proposal was defeated by council in 2005. He underwent open heart surgery in September 2004.
When asked about his legacy after being discharged from hospital, he said, "There are very, very few people who are neutral about Jack MacDonald, and I like it that way".