John L. MacDonald

John L. MacDonald

John Lewis MacDonald (February 22, 1838 – July 13, 1903) was a Representative from Minnesota; born in Glasgow, Scotland, February 22, 1838; immigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada, with his parents, who later, in 1847, settled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; moved to Minnesota in 1855 and settled in Scott County; studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1859 and commenced practice at Belle Plaine, Minnesota; judge of the probate court of Scott County in 1860 and 1861; during the Civil War was commissioned to enlist and muster volunteers for the Union Army; prosecuting attorney of Scott County in 1863 and 1864; county superintendent of schools in 1865 and 1866; member of the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1869 and 1870; served in the Minnesota Senate in 1871 and 1873 – 1876; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for attorney general in 1872; mayor of Shakopee in 1876; elected judge of the eighth judicial district of Minnesota in 1876 for a term of seven years and reelected without opposition in 1883; resigned in the fall of 1886, having been elected to Congress; elected as a Democrat to the 50th congress (March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1889); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1888 to the 51st congress; engaged in the practice of his profession in Saint Paul, Minnesota; moved to Kansas City, Missouri, in 1898 and continued the practice of law until his death from injuries received in a streetcar accident July 13, 1903. He was buried at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.

References

• Minnesota Legislators Past and Present

• John L. MacDonald at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress