(11 Sept. 1856-29 May 1923), contractor, public figure. (D. R. McDonald, Donald D. D. McDonald) Born in Wisconsin, where his father had a railway contract at the time. Parents: Donald D. Mcdonald and his wife Annie Cameron. He attended the public and high schools at Williamstown.
He was a contractor for nearly forty years, doing much work on railway-building. He began contracting with his father, with whom he worked on the Canada Atlantic Railway, and then on the North Shore Railway from Montreal to Quebec. Afterwards, Donald Robert was both a superintendent and a contractor on CPR construction. He was associated with an uncle, D. J. Cameron, “in very difficult railroad work” in Michigan. Over the years, successful and energetic, he was a contractor in Ontario, Que., N. S., N. B., the U. S. A., the western provinces, and Mexico. The local press contains many references to his contracting activities. The Glengarrian of 6 May 1887 mentions a man leaving for Arkansas City, in Kansas, to work under D. R. McDonald, railway contractor. On 4 Dec. 1907, Sabourin Bros. of Alexandria shipped 200 quarters of beef to McDonald’s construction camp on the Grand Trunk Railway near Montreal. (Glengarry News 6 Dec. 1907). McDonald’s last completed construction project was in Humboldt, Sask., finished about a year before his death. He was president of the Courtnay or Courtney Construction Co., of Montreal, which was involved in 1912 in the construction of a dry dock at Saint John, N. B., but this project was terminated when the war began. His brother John A. Macdonald and John McMartin were among his partners in contracting. Also he was associated with the future General Hervey in contracts on the National Transcontinental Railway.
The Ontario general election of 1 March 1898 saw him elected MLA for GC as a Conservative, defeating his cousin Duncan Christopher McRae (Liberal) and David M. Macpherson (Independent or Patrons). He was not a candidate at the next Ontario general election, on 29 May 1902. In the 1904 federal election, he was the Conservative candidate for GC, but was defeated by J. T. Schell, the Liberal incumbent. In the Ontario general election of 8 June 1908, he again won GC for the Conservatives, defeating Alexander W. McDougald, Liberal. He was not a candidate at the 11 Dec. 1911 Ontario general election, and indeed appears not to have been a candidate again in any Canadian election, provincial or federal.
He had a farm at Williamstown, where he raised purebred Holsteins. For some years, he had his residence at Alexandria. In later years, however, he moved to Netherhill (of which the earlier name was McKenzie) in southwestern Sask. , where he had a ranch and what are described as extensive interests, and where his landholdings totalled over 3000 acres. The major GC settlement area of Plenty was not far away. His house was remembered to have been the largest in the Netherhill district. (Hillsburgh 336) He died at Netherhill. Roman Catholic. He is buried at St. Mary’s cemetery, Williamstown. (nine children) He was married (1) in Feb. 1888, to Catherine McDonell, daughter of A. C. Macdonell of Glen Nevis, GC. She died at Williamstown 26 Oct. 1898, aged 32. (four children by this marriage), and (2) on 30 Jan. 1900, to Mary Belle Chisholm (1874-1945) of Port Hastings, N. S. (five children by this marriage surviving him). The death of the first wife and the marriage to the second took place during his first term as MLA.
He was one of the people who contributed to the purchase of the bells for the new Church of the Sacred Heart in Alexandria. (GN 31 July 1914)
Some of the business papers of D. R. McDonald were preserved among the papers of his fellow contractor and probably relative R. R. (Big Rory) McLennan, and are in the well known collection of Big Rory’s papers in the Ontario Archives.
He was the brother of Allan P. Mcdonald, James D. D. Mcdonald and John A. Mcdonald and the father of General Donald John Macdonald. D. R. McDonald’s daughter Helen was married to Dugald Chisholm of Round Lake, N. Y., the brother of the Alexandria contractor John Chisholm. D. R. McDonald was the grandnephew or great-grandnephew of Big Finnan of the Buffalo Mcdonald. See also Donald A. Mcdonald (Big Dan), lumberman.
Cornwall Freeholder & Cornwall Standard 31 May & 7 June 1923, Glengarry News 1 June 1923 * Fraser, Gravestones, I, 37-38, 82 * Harkness: index (has portrait) * Roderick Lewis, 94-95 * Holstein 3, 40, [69] * Memoirs of Hillsburgh R. M. No. 289 (1961?): history of Netherhill area, various refs., map of settlers’ landholdings * second marriage, GN 2 Feb. 1900 * obituary & report on funeral of his daughter Tillie, Mrs Archibald Tobin, GN 14 & 21 Feb. 1974 * member of SDG Council by acclamation, GN 26 March 1897 * states that for business reasons he will not be a political candidate, Cornwall Standard 16 Aug. 1901 * is nominated by GC Conservatives as federal candidate, CS 23 Oct. 1903 * claim of injured employee (foreman) against, CS 17 Dec. 1909 * leaves with party of men and two carloads of horses for McKenzie, Sask., CF 15 April 1910 * goes to Netherhill, Sask., to supervise the spring’s work, GN 26 March 1915 * wife and other family members prepare to go to Netherhill, GN 27 April 1923 * references to his railway contracting, GN 10 Aug. 1894 (Parry Sound), 16 July 1897 (Mexico), 15 June &10 Aug. 1900 (Sault Ste. Marie, Algoma Central), 25 July 1902 (CPR between Labelle & Nominingue, Que.), 23 Jan. 1914 (N.B.)