Samuel McDonnell

Samuel McDonnell

Samuel McDonnell (1834 – January 1, 1910) was a Canadian politician.

Born in St. Andrews, County of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, the son of Donald McDonnell (Garanaich), McDonnell studied law in Antigonish with William Alexander Henry. After being admitted to the Bar he practiced law in Port Hood, Nova Scotia. In 1863, he was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. In 1867 MacDonnell ran in Inverness for the Canadian House of Commons, but was defeated. In 1872, he was elected to Parliament as a member of John A. Macdonald's Conservative caucus. After the Pacific scandal, he switched parties to the Liberals in 1874. He was re-elected in 1878 and defeated in 1882, 1887, and 1891. He was later appointed by the Laurier Government an Inspector of Customs for Eastern Nova Scotia.