Canada’s First Political Assassination: Thomas D’Arcy McGee

About this episode

Episode 443: Thomas D’Arcy McGee’s remarkable life took him from Irish revolutionary and political exile to journalist, celebrated orator, member of Parliament, and Father of Canadian Confederation. After rejecting armed rebellion, he became one of the Fenian movement’s fiercest public opponents, drawing condemnation and threats from former allies. In the early hours of April 7, 1868, only nine months after Confederation, McGee was shot outside his Ottawa boarding house after leaving Parliament. His death is recognized as Canada’s first political assassination. The murder shocked the new country, led to a controversial investigation and trial, and left questions that remain unresolved more than 150 years later. Sources: Thomas D’Arcy McGee — Dictionary of Canadian Biography Patrick James Whelan — Dictionary of Canadian Biography The Fenians — Dictionary of Canadian Biography The Trial of Patrick J. Whelan for the Murder of Thomas D’Arcy McGee — George Spaight, 1868 Agnes Macdonald’s Diary — Library and Archives Canada Patrick Whelan Capital Case and Respite — Library and Archives Canada The Revolver Connected to McGee’s Assassination — Canadian Museum of Hist