Thomas D’Arcy McGee

Thomas D’Arcy McGee was the most powerful political orator of his era. As a young man in Ireland, he fought the British and opposed the Catholic Church. Years later, as a journalist and politician in Canada, he hotly defended the interests of the immigrant Irish. In maturity, McGee turned from rebellion to conservatism. He returned to the Church. He used his eloquence to support the new Canadian Confederation — promoting religious freedom, minority rights and national unity under the British Crown. Former associates called him “turncoat,” and his change of heart led to his assassination in 1868.