John A. Macdonald

Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister of Canada. He was an important influence on the Canadian Confederation, July 1, 1867. Macdonald was in office from 1867 to 1873 and again from 1878 to 1891, making him the second longest-serving Prime Minister of Canada and the only one to win six majority governments.
One of the things Macdonald wanted to do was to build a transcontinental railway that would link Canada from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. That railway, called the Canadian Pacific Railway, was completed in 1885.
Macdonald did not speak French as well as the Prime Ministers who came after him. He could speak Scottish Gaelic and a bit of Latin.
Macdonald had four siblings. He was the third of five children.