Thomas D'Arcy McGee
Thomas D'Arcy McGee was an influential Irish-Canadian writer and politician, born on April 13, 1825, in Carlingford, County Louth, Ireland. He moved to Boston in 1842, where he became an assistant editor of a Catholic newspaper and was deeply involved in the Young Ireland nationalist movement. Following the failed Irish rebellion of 1848, McGee emigrated to the United States and established himself as a journalist by founding two newspapers. His political views evolved over time, shifting from militant nationalism to advocating for peaceful solutions to Ireland's issues.
In 1857, McGee settled in Canada, where he founded the New Era newspaper and launched a successful political career, contributing to the confederation of Canadian colonies in 1867. He held several ministerial roles, including president of the council and minister of agriculture. McGee was also a passionate supporter of the arts, promoting the development of Canadian literature and culture. Tragically, he was assassinated in Ottawa on April 7, 1868, by a member of the Fenians, a group whose extremist tactics he had opposed. His legacy includes posthumous collections of his nationalist poetry and speeches, which continue to reflect his contributions to Canadian society and culture.
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Subject Terms
Thomas D'Arcy McGee
Writer
- Born: April 13, 1825
- Birthplace: Carlingford, County Louth, Ireland
- Died: April 7, 1868
- Place of death: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Biography
Irish-Canadian writer Thomas D’Arcy McGee was born in Carlingford, County Louth, Ireland, on April 13, 1825. In 1842 he moved to Boston, where he became an assistant editor of the Pilot, a Catholic newspaper. He returned to Ireland in 1845 and worked for the Dublin Freeman’s Journal. He was a devoted Irish nationalist, and from 1846 to 1848 he was affiliated with the Young Ireland movement, which found a voice in the journal The Nation.
McGee left Ireland for the United States following his involvement in the failed Irish rebellion of 1848. He founded two newspapers: the New YorkNation and the American Celt. Although he initially supported the cause of Irish nationalists in America, his politics eventually became less militant, and he became a supporter of a peaceful solution to the problems in Ireland.
In 1857 McGee moved to Canada. He settled in Montreal, founded a newspaper called New Era, and began a political career. He was elected to the legislative assembly of Canada in 1858 and held a variety of ministerial posts throughout the 1860’s, including president of the council in 1862 through 1863 and minister of agriculture in 1864. He was a major political figure in the movement that led to the confederation of the Canadian colonies in 1867. He also was an ardent supporter of the arts and encouraged the proliferation of a distinctive Canadian literature and culture.
McGee was assassinated by a member of the Fenians, an Irish nationalist group whose tactics he had denounced, in Ottawa, Ontario, on April 7, 1868. His body was interred in the Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges in Montreal, Quebec. His nationalist poetry and various writings and speeches appeared in two posthumously published collections: The Poems of Thomas D’Arcy McGee (1869) and D’Arcy McGee: A Collection of Speeches and Addresses (1937).