 In 1847, the Joint Premier, William Henry Draper, appointed Macdonald as Receiver General.Accepting the government post required Macdonald to give up his law firm income and spend most of his time in Montreal, away from Isabella.When elections were held in December 1848 and January 1849, Macdonald was easily reelected for Kingston, but the Conservatives lost seats and were forced to resign when the legislature reconvened in March 1848.