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John A. MacdonaldWhile serving as Attorney-General for Upper Canada in the early 1860s, John A. Macdonald lived in Quebec. As former Toronto Globe editor Sir John Willison recalled in his memoirs, "he had been absent from duty for a week; public business was delayed, and the Governor-General became impatient. He sent his aide-de-camp, young Lord Bury, to find the absent Minister. Pushing his way past the old house-keeper, Lord Bury penetrated to the bedroom where Macdonald was sitting in bed, reading a novel with a decanter of sherry on the table beside him. 'Mr. Macdonald, the Governor-General told me to say to you that if you don't sober up and get back to business, he will not be answerable for the consequences.' Macdonald's countenance reflected the anger he felt at the intrusion: 'Are you here in your official capacity, or as a private individual?' 'What difference does that make?' asked Lord Bury. 'Just this,' snapped the statesman, 'if you are here in your official capacity, you can go back to Sir Edmund Head, give him my compliments, and tell him to go to hell; if you are here simply as a private individual, you can go yourself!'"
MacDonald, Sir John Alexander (1815-1891) Scottish-born Canadian statesman, first prime minister of Canada (1867-73, 1878-91)
[Sources: Douglas Fetherling, Broadview Book of Canadian Anecdotes]More Sir MacDonald anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Canadian Politics Negligence Demands Distinctions Rejections Retorts Insults
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