Keywords Born in 1825 Historical Figures Confederation

McGee moved to Montréal in the spring of 1857 at the request of the Irish community and began another newspaper, New Era, advocating a "new nationality." He called for the federation of British North America, a transcontinental railway, the settlement of the West, a protective tariff and the development of a distinctive Canadian literature.

McGee was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Montréal in 1858. He worked at first with George BROWN and the Reform Party but broke with them after becoming discouraged with the lack of enthusiasm shown by the Reformers for his national projects. He then fell in with John A. MACDONALD and George-Étienne CARTIER. He was in the "Great Coalition" leading up to Confederation and attended the Charlottetown and Québec conferences. By 1866, however, he had alienated many Irish voters and was dropped from the Cabinet.

In addition to editing newspapers and pursuing his active political career, McGee was an excellent public speaker, published over 300 poems and wrote many works on Irish history. He was bitterly opposed to the FENIANS and their plans to obtain Irish independence by revolution and the conquest of Canada. When he was assassinated a week before his 43rd birthday, it was generally believed that a Fenian conspiracy was involved.

McGee, Thomas D'Arcy
McGee's bitter opposition to the Fenians likely played a role in his assassination (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-21543).

Fathers of Confederation

Author ROBIN BURNS

Suggested Reading
E.J. Phelan, Ardent Exile (1951); T.P. Slattery, The Assassination of D'Arcy McGee (1968) and "They Got to Find Me Guilty Yet" (1972).

Links to Other Sites
Thomas D'arcy Mcgee As A Father Of Canadian Literature
Thomas D'Arcy McGee, a Father of Confederation, was also a strong proponent of a distinctly Canadian literature. Find out more in this article from “Studies in Canadian Literature.”

Thomas D'Arcy McGee
A biography of Thomas D'Arcy McGee with photographs and other archival resources. This “Canadian Confederation” website is from Library and Archives Canada.

Dictionary of Canadian Biography
A searchable collection of detailed biographies of prominent figures in Canadian history. Produced by the University of Toronto, the Université Laval and the National Archives of Canada.

The Assassination of Thomas D'Arcy McGee
Search the CBC website for special features and news stories about the assassination of Thomas D'Arcy McGee.

McGee, Thomas D'Arcy
Look for various intriguing comments about this prominent Canadian historical figure in the Thomas D'Arcy McGee fonds at McMaster University.

Face to Face: The Canadian Personalities Hall
Face to Face presents outstanding Canadians – men and women whose ideas and contributions have transformed this country. From the website for the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Monument testament to Irish influence in Canada
A news story about a proposed monument celebrating Irish people's contribution to Canada in Vancouver. From canada.com.