| <tab>He was also postmaster of Alexandria for nearly half a century, from 1 Jan. 1873 till his death. His obituary in the //Glengarry News// noted as remarkable the fact that he had been allowed to remain undisturbed in office despite the changes of government over those years. The post office was, presumably, during the earlier years located in Macdonald’s store. The government built a post office for the town in 1903, then after it was burned out in 1906 it was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again by fire in March 1921, some months before Macdonald’s death. In 1905, apparently in connection with there then being at last a suitable office for such an official through there now being a government-owned post office building in Alexandria, he was appointed the customs officer for Alexandria. (//Glengarry News// 8 Sept. 1905) | <tab>He was also postmaster of Alexandria for nearly half a century, from 1 Jan. 1873 till his death. His obituary in the //Glengarry News// noted as remarkable the fact that he had been allowed to remain undisturbed in office despite the changes of government over those years. The post office was, presumably, during the earlier years located in Macdonald’s store. The government built a post office for the town in 1903, then after it was burned out in 1906 it was rebuilt, only to be destroyed again by fire in March 1921, some months before Macdonald’s death. In 1905, apparently in connection with there then being at last a suitable office for such an official through there now being a government-owned post office building in Alexandria, he was appointed the customs officer for Alexandria. (//Glengarry News// 8 Sept. 1905) |
| <tab>His predecessor as postmaster was Angus S. Macdonald (Shoemaker), who had resigned. On 16 Dec. 1872, the future Senator Donald McMillan wrote in a hot-tempered letter to the prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, “Has Duncan A. McDonell [sic] been appointed to the Post Mastership here? if so it is a dreadful blow to the Conservative interest in the Co, for he is just the man of all others whom D. A. and his grit friends would like to see get the office.” (D. A. was Donald A. Macdonald, “Donald Sandfield.”) McMillan notes that Duncan is a friend and relative of his own, so he is only serving the party’s interest in opposing the appointment. More suitable for the position, McMillan thought, would be Hugh McDonald, merchant (presumably Hugh R. Macdonald), George Harrison, Esq., merchant, or James McPhee, merchant. (McPhee was probably McMillan’s future son-in-law; see note at end of entry for Senator McMillan) The insuperable objection to Duncan, McMillan thought, was that of his being too pliant a follower of D. A. Macdonald. “The Telegraph office was got into his Store through D. A.’s intrigues,” McMillan declared, and the evil outcome has been “many” people believe ”that for any secrecy where D. A. is interested it might Just as well be in his own office.” Someone has annotated the letter, saying “I can dismiss the man if you wish but it would not look well.” Duncan Macdonald was a man of integrity, and there is no reason to suppose he would have misused his public position as postmaster in the ways McMillan evidently feared. A belief of that time that some postmasters did so was, however, a part of the background to this extraordinary letter. Indeed, there were even allegations in that generation that some postmasters stopped or delayed the delivery of opposition newspapers. | <tab>His predecessor as postmaster was Angus S. Macdonald (Shoemaker), who had resigned. On 16 Dec. 1872, the future Senator Donald McMillan wrote in a hot-tempered letter to the prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, “Has Duncan A. McDonell [sic] been appointed to the Post Mastership here? if so it is a dreadful blow to the Conservative interest in the Co, for he is just the man of all others whom D. A. and his grit friends would like to see get the office.” (D. A. was Donald A. Macdonald, “Donald Sandfield.”) McMillan notes that Duncan is a friend and relative of his own, so he is only serving the party’s interest in opposing the appointment. More suitable for the position, McMillan thought, would be Hugh McDonald, merchant (presumably Hugh R. Macdonald), George Harrison, Esq., merchant, or James McPhee, merchant. (McPhee was probably McMillan’s future son-in-law; see note at end of entry for [[macmillan_donald|Senator McMillan]]) The insuperable objection to Duncan, McMillan thought, was that of his being too pliant a follower of D. A. Macdonald. “The Telegraph office was got into his Store through D. A.’s intrigues,” McMillan declared, and the evil outcome has been “many” people believe ”that for any secrecy where D. A. is interested it might Just as well be in his own office.” Someone has annotated the letter, saying “I can dismiss the man if you wish but it would not look well.” Duncan Macdonald was a man of integrity, and there is no reason to suppose he would have misused his public position as postmaster in the ways McMillan evidently feared. A belief of that time that some postmasters did so was, however, a part of the background to this extraordinary letter. Indeed, there were even allegations in that generation that some postmasters stopped or delayed the delivery of opposition newspapers. |
| <tab>Macdonald also operated an ashery, and was extensively involved in the lumber business. “He had several mills throughout the district and much square timber was sent by him in rafts to the Ancient City of Quebec.” Some of his lumbering operations were in association with J. T. Schell. The 1903 special edition of the //Glengarry News// stated that Macdonald was then “a member of the lumbering firm of Macdonald & Schell, and has personal supervision of the firm’s saw-mill, situated at the station here, the operation of which materially assists in promoting the prosperity of the community.” He was interested in the grain trade, and when the railway came to Alexandria, both he and his near namesake the D. A. Macdonald already mentioned separately built large granaries at the Alexandria station. (//Cornwall Freeholder// 18 Aug. & 3 Nov. 1882 ) In 1890 he built and began to operate a cheese factory in the Johnstown area of Alexandria. (//Glengarrian// 4 April & 13 June 1890) | <tab>Macdonald also operated an ashery, and was extensively involved in the lumber business. “He had several mills throughout the district and much square timber was sent by him in rafts to the Ancient City of Quebec.” Some of his lumbering operations were in association with J. T. Schell. The 1903 special edition of the //Glengarry News// stated that Macdonald was then “a member of the lumbering firm of Macdonald & Schell, and has personal supervision of the firm’s saw-mill, situated at the station here, the operation of which materially assists in promoting the prosperity of the community.” He was interested in the grain trade, and when the railway came to Alexandria, both he and his near namesake the D. A. Macdonald already mentioned separately built large granaries at the Alexandria station. (//Cornwall Freeholder// 18 Aug. & 3 Nov. 1882 ) In 1890 he built and began to operate a cheese factory in the Johnstown area of Alexandria. (//Glengarrian// 4 April & 13 June 1890) |
