SMITH, Sir Donald Alexander, Canadian legislator, born in Morayshire, Scotland, in 1821. After completing his course of education he came to Canada, and early in life entered the service of the Hudson bay company, of which he became a director, and later resident governor and chief commissioner. He was appointed in 1870 a member of the executive council of the Northwest territories, and in December, 1869, was a special commissioner to inquire into the causes, nature, and extent of the obstructions that were offered in the Northwest territories to the peaceful entrance of the lieutenant-governor, William McDougall, during the Riel insurrection. For the important services that he rendered on this occasion he received the thanks of the governor-general in council. He represented Winnipeg and St. John in the Manitoba assembly from 1871 till January, 1874, when he resigned, and was elected to the Dominion parliament for Selkirk, Manitoba, in 1871, being re-elected in 1872, 1874, mid 1878, but upon petition the last election was declared void. He was an unsuccessful candidate in 1880, but was elected for Montreal, west, in February, 1887. In 1880 he became a director of the Canadian Pacific railway company, was largely instrumental in securing the successful completion of the road, and in 1886 was knighted for his services in connection with this undertaking. He is a governor of McGill university, and gave $120,000 to constitute a special course or college for women in connection with that institution. With Sir George Stephen, bart., he founded in 1885 the Montreal scholarship of the Royal college of music, London, for residents of Montreal and its neighborhood. Sir Donald has one of the finest private residences in the Dominion at Montreal, a seat at Pictou. Nova Scotia, and another at Silver Heights, near Winnipeg, Manitoba. He possesses a fine collection of pictures.