Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor
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Gordon Macdonald, 1st Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor (1885–1966) was a British politician and Newfoundland's final British governor as well as the last chairman of the Commission of Government serving from 1946 until the colony joined confederation in 1949 and became a province of Canada.
Macdonald was Labour Member of Parliament for Ince in the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1942 and then served as a regional controller for the Ministry of Fuel and Power in Wales until his appointment to Newfoundland in 1946. As governor, Macdonald openly campaigned for confederation, making him unpopular with those Newfoundlanders who opposed joining Canada. Anti-confederates cited Macdonald's interference in arguments to throw out the 1948 referendum results on joining Canada.
Macdonald left the island upon its entry to Canada in 1949. Two days after his departure, a congratulatory poem was published in The Evening Telegram on March 8, 1949:
- The prayers of countless thousands sent
Heavenwards to speed thy safe return,
Ennobled as thou art with duty well performed,
Bringing peace, security and joy
Among the peoples of this New Found Land.
So saddened and depressed until your presence
Taught us discern and help decide what's best for
All on whom fortune had not smiled.
Remember if you will the kindness and the love
Devotion and the respect that we the people have for Thee
- – Farewell!
It would be a matter of weeks before the editors of The Telegram would discover the poem was an acrostic.
After returning to Britain, Macdonald was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor. He then served as Paymaster-General.
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[edit] Offices Held
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Stephen Walsh |
Member of Parliament for Ince 1929–1942 |
Succeeded by: Thomas James Brown |
| Government Offices | ||
| Preceded by: Humphrey T. Walwyn |
Commission Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador 1946–1949 |
Succeeded by: Albert Walsh Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Joey Smallwood (Premier) |
| Political Offices | ||
| Preceded by: The Viscount Addison |
Paymaster General 1949–1951 |
Succeeded by: The Lord Cherwell |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by: New creation |
Baron Macdonald of Gwaenysgor | Succeeded by: Gordon Macdonald |
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