Sir John Alexander Macdonald was the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation. He was the first Prime Minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891.
Sir George–Étienne Cartier was another of Canada's founding fathers. He was Premier of East Canada from 1858 to 1862, and he served (under Macdonald) as Minister of Militia and Defence from 1867 to 1873.
Born in Quebec (then known as Lower Canada) in 1814, Cartier's name was spelt as George, rather than the conventional French Georges, in honour of King George III.
© Haydn Thompson 2017