Thomas D\' Arcy McGee

Thomas D' Arcy McGee , CP (April 13rd 1825 - April 7th 1868) was a Canadian Journaliste and a father of the Confederation. Often, it is quite simply called D' Arcy McGee.

Born with Carlingford in Ireland the April 13rd 1825, it emigrated with the the United States in 1843 at the seventeen years age. It found soon a work with the newspaper of Patrick Donahoe, a catholic newspaper of Boston to the Massachusetts called the Boston Pilot . A few years later, it returned to Ireland where it began its political life, becoming editor for the nationalist newspaper Nation . Its support with the Féniens, forerunners of the Sinn Féin, and its implication in the rising armed with Tipperary in 1848 resulted in its arrest. McGee escaped from the country and returned to the United States.

In the States, it found publications irlando-American in New York and Boston, and generally supported the cause of the immigrants. In 1857, it left for Canada where it establishes the review New Era in Montreal with the Quebec. Politically active, its feelings anti-British were shown again in his claim in favor of the Canadian independence of the United Kingdom. In 1858, it was elected with the legislative Parliament of Canada where it worked for the creation of independent Canada.

Moderating her Irish radical opinions, McGee denounced the Fraternité fénienne in America which wished to invade Canada starting from the United States. Part of the American féniens sent an army of invasion of 1866 which was pushed back and stopped by the American authorities. The Canadians last food in fear of an invasion fénienne larger than the last during several years. McGee was elected at the first Canadian Parliament in 1867 as a deputy Liberal-conservative representing the district of Montreal-West. The April 7th 1868, D' Arcy McGee was assassinated with Ottawa, in Ontario. It appears like one of the rare cases of political assassinations in the Canadian Histoire and only at the federal level. The building Thomas D' Arcy McGee of the federal government is located close to the place of the assassination.

It was buried with the Cimetière Our-Lady-of-Snows in Montreal in Quebec.

A pub with the downtown area of Ottawa bears its name. Located at some steps of the parliamentary Hill, he is very attended by the Canadian politicians.

Patrick J. Whelan, a sympathizer fénien, was shown, accepted a lawsuit, was condemned then hung for the crime. Its culpability is the subject today of a debate of historians and its case was dramatized in the play Blood One The Moon . The singer Alex Sinclair wrote the song Hangman' S Eyes in connection with Whelan.

In May 2005, the rifle which killed D' Arcy McGee was sold for the price of 105.000 Canadian dollars with the Canadian Musée of civilizations. In 2000, Bibliothèque and Archives Canada was in possession of the ball but since the sale of the firearm, the organization informed GRC that this ball disappeared during the five last years.

External bonds

Works of Thomas D' Arcy McGee by the project Gutenberg
Note of the biographical dictionary of Canada
Biography of the Canadian Parliament

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