Daniel Joseph MacDonaldPC (23 July 1918 – 30 September 1980) was aCanadian politician fromPrince Edward Island. He served asMinister of Veterans Affairs from 1972 to 1979 and again in 1980 until his death.

He was born on his family's farm inBothwell,Prince Edward Island, and was educated in a one-room schoolhouse.

At the age of 20, he bought his own farm at Bothwell Beach. In 1940, he enlisted inThe Prince Edward Island Highlanders to fight inWorld War II. He was transferred to theCape Breton Highlanders in 1943 and fought with the rank ofsergeant inItaly, where he was wounded during the assault on theGothic Line. He returned to his unit after a few weeks and was seriously wounded on 21 December 1944, during theBattle of Senio River. As a result, his left arm and leg were amputated. Undiscouraged by his injuries, he returned to his farm, married a local woman named Pauline Peters, built a house, and raised seven children: Blair, Heather, Gail, Daniel, Leo, Walter, and Gloria. The singer-songwriterJenn Grant is a granddaughter.^{[citation needed]}

In 1962, he was elected to thePrince Edward Island House of Assembly and sat in the body for ten years. He served asMinister of Agriculture and Forestry from 1966 to 1972, when he resigned to run in the1972 federal election. Elected as theLiberalMember of Parliament forCardigan, he was appointed to theCabinet ofPierre Trudeau asMinister of Veterans Affairs. He was defeated in the1979 federal election but returned in the1980 election and was then reappointed to the Veterans Affairs portfolio. MacDonald reformed veterans' pensions to make them more generous and introduced disability pensions and pensions forprisoners of war.

In the late 1970s, Prime MinisterPierre Elliott Trudeau undertook an initiative to decentralize government away from Ottawa. He and MacDonald devised the plan to move the headquarters of the Department of Veterans Affairs from Ottawa to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The department's head office, along with theVeterans Review and Appeal Board, have been located in the Daniel J. MacDonald Building (the "DJM") in PEI's capital ever since. (In the early 21st century, a second building two blocks from the DJM, theJean Canfield Building (the "JCB"), was constructed to house other federal government offices, including some from Veterans Affairs Canada.) The department has become a major economic contributor to PEI, and has had an important impact on Charlottetown's cultural landscape.

MacDonald died in office on 30 September 1980, and was given astate funeral. The eulogy was given by Prime Minister Trudeau atSt. Dunstan's Cathedral, inCharlottetown.

• Department of Veterans Affairs biography

• 1918 births
• 1980 deaths
• Politicians from Kings County, Prince Edward Island
• Canadian Roman Catholics
• Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Prince Edward Island
• Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada
• Liberal Party of Canada MPs
• Prince Edward Island Liberal Party MLAs
• Members of the Executive Council of Prince Edward Island
• Canadian Army personnel of World War II
• Canadian Army soldiers
• 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
• 20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada
• Minister of veterans affairs of Canada
• Canadian amputees

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