Macdonald, John A.

Born in 1815, John A. Macdonald was a lawyer and businessman. In 1854 Macdonald became the Attorney General for Upper Canada. As such, he was responsible for overseeing the judicial and penal systems. He recommended in 1858 that James Donnelly’s original death sentence for the murder of Patrick Farrell be commuted to seven years in prison. A Conservative, Macdonald would go on to become the first prime minister of Canada.

Source:

Dictionary of Canadian Biography