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|birth_date = Unknown date, {{circa|1792}}<ref>Raffan 2007, p.26.</ref>
|birth_place = [[Dingwall]], [[Ross-shire]], Scotland
|death_date = {{
|death_place = [[Lachine, Quebec|Lachine]], [[Province of Canada]]
|resting_place = [[Mount Royal Cemetery]]
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|signature = Signature of George Simpson (c. 1792 – 1860).png
}}
[[File:Manoir Simpson, 1888, Sir George Simpson, Lachine.jpg|thumb|260px|Manoir Simpson, built in 1834 in Lachine, Montreal, next to the [[The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site|Fur Trade Depot]], later became part of [[Collège Sainte-Anne]]<ref>[https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/3496750 À la découverte de l'ensemble conventuel des Soeurs de Sainte-Anne à Lachine, un lieu de tradition éducative / recherche et rédaction, Marie-Claude Ravary et quatre autres, p. 4-5]</ref>]]
'''Sir George Simpson''' ({{circa|1792}} – 7 September 1860) was a Scottish explorer and colonial governor of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] during the period of its greatest power. From 1820 to 1860, he was in practice, if not in law, the British [[viceroy]] for the whole of [[Rupert's Land]], an enormous territory of 3.9 millions square
His efficient administration of the west was a precondition for the [[Canadian Confederation|confederation of western and eastern Canada]], which later created the ''
Simpson was also the first person known to have "circumnavigated" the world by land, and became the most powerful man of the [[North American fur trade]] during his lifetime.<ref>[https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6368924 An Overland Journey round the World during the years 1841 and 1842, SIR GEORGE SIMPSON, 1847], The Private Collection of William S. Reese: Part Two, Christie's.</ref><ref>[https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/kidsgeorge.htm George Stewart Simpson], Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, National Park Service, August 14, 2020</ref>
== Early life ==
[[File:Roy - Vieux manoirs, vieilles maisons, 1927 page 179.jpg|260px|thumb|Sir George Simpson's Manor in Coteau-du-lac, later sold to the [[Georges-René Saveuse de Beaujeu|Comte de Beaujeu]] and Mrs. [[Philippe-Joseph Aubert de Gaspé#Family|De Gaspé]].<ref>[https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2636085 Vieux Manoirs, Vieilles Maisons, Commission des Monuments Historiques de la Province de Quebec]</ref>]]
Born at [[Dingwall]], [[Ross-Shire]], Scotland, as the [[illegitimate son]] of George Simpson, [[Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet|Writer to the Signet]], he was raised by two aunts and his paternal grandmother, Isobel Simpson (1731–1821), daughter of George Mackenzie, 2nd [[Laird]] of [[Gruinard Island|Gruinard]]—grandson of [[George Mackenzie, 2nd Earl of Seaforth]]—and Elizabeth, daughter of [[Duncan Forbes, Lord Culloden]]. Simpson's father was a first cousin of Sir [[Alexander Mackenzie (explorer)|Alexander Mackenzie]]'s father-in-law.
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After the meeting he returned downstream to take up his duties at York Factory. In December 1821, he set out on snowshoes for [[Cumberland House]] and then the [[Red River Colony]]. By July 1822, he was back at York Factory for the second meeting of the Northern Council, the first that he chaired. After the meeting he went by water to [[Lac Île-à-la-Crosse]] and then by dog sled to [[Fort Chipewyan]] and [[Fort Resolution]] on the [[Tıdeè|Tıdeè Lake]]. He then went south to [[Fort Dunvegan]] on the [[Peace River (Canada)|Peace River]] and then [[Fort Edmonton]] and after the thaw, back to York Factory.
[[File:HS34 1.jpg|260px|thumb|[[York Factory]], Hudson's Bay Company trading post]]
In August 1824, he left [[York Factory]] for the Pacific, taking the unorthodox [[Nelson River|Nelson]]–[[Burntwood River]] route, and ascended the [[Churchill River (Hudson Bay)|Churchill River]] and [[Athabasca River]]s to [[Jasper House]] at the east side of [[Athabasca Pass]]. He crossed the pass on horseback to [[Boat Encampment]] and then down the [[Columbia River]], reaching its mouth on November 8 at [[Fort Astoria|Fort George]], previously named [[Fort Astoria]]. This 80-day journey was 20 days faster than the previous record. He moved the headquarters of the [[Columbia District]] to [[Fort Vancouver]], guessing that the south side of the river might fall to the Americans.
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In 1825, he returned to Britain and learned that William Williams had retired, thereby adding the eastern area to his domain. Returning to [[Montreal]], he went to the Red River settlements, Rock Depot for the annual meeting, the posts on [[James Bay]] to inspect his new domain, and back to Montreal. In May 1828, he started his second trip to the Pacific along with his dog, mistress and personal piper, going first to York Factory and then using the [[Peace River (Canada)|Peace River]] route.
This {{convert|5000|mi|km|adj=on}} trip remains the longest North American canoe journey ever made in one season.<ref>Raffan 2007, p.243.</ref> He returned via Athabasca Pass to [[Moose Factory]] and Montreal and immediately went south to New York and took ship to Liverpool. After a brief courtship he married his first cousin, [[Frances Ramsay Simpson]], in February 1830, and returned with his new wife to New York, Montreal, [[Michipicoten, Ontario]], for the annual meeting, York Factory, and Red River. Here his wife gave birth to his first legitimate child, who soon died. In 1832, [[John Jacob Astor]] approached Gov. Simpson for talks to restrain [[liquor]] from the fur trade, and the two met in New York, but a binding agreement never ensued.<ref>Haeger, John Denis (1991). [https://digital.library.wayne.edu/item/wayne:WayneStateUniversityPress4324/file/PDF_FULL John Jacob Astor: Business and Finance in the Early Republic], Wayne State University, University Press, Great Lakes Books, Detroit, p. 240.</ref>
In May 1833, he suffered a mild stroke. He and his wife returned to Scotland, where she remained for the next five years and gave birth to a baby girl. In the spring of 1834, he returned to Canada and attended the Southern Council at Moose Factory in May and the Northern Council at York Factory in June, inspected posts on the [[Saint Lawrence River|Saint Lawrence]], and arrived back in England in October 1835.
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=== Circumnavigation ===
[[File:Old Fort Garry - Winnipeg, Manitoba.jpg|270px|thumb|Old [[Fort Garry]] - Winnipeg, Manitoba]]
He left London in March 1841, and went by canoe to [[Fort Garry]] (now the site of [[Winnipeg]]). On this part of the trip he was accompanied by [[James Alexander, 3rd Earl of Caledon]], who left to hunt on the prairie and later published a journal.
Guessing that the [[Canada–United States border|49th parallel border]] would be extended to the Pacific and considering the difficulties of the [[Columbia Bar]], he proposed to move the HBC headquarters to what is now [[Victoria, British Columbia]], a suggestion that earned him the enmity of [[John McLoughlin]], who had done much to develop the Columbia district. Simpson took the {{ship|HBC steamship|Beaver||2}} north along the Pacific coast to the Russian post at [[Sitka, Alaska|Sitka]], and then another boat as far south as [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]], stopping at the HBC post of [[Yerba Buena, California|Yerba Buena]].
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=== Hawaii ===
{{See also|Maritime fur trade}}
During his visit to Hawaii, he met with King [[Kamehameha III]] and his advisers.<ref>[http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/simpson_george_8E.html Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Simpson, Sir George]</ref> Simpson, along with [[Timoteo Haalilio|Timoteo Ha{{okina}}alilio]] and [[William Richards (Hawaii)|William Richards]] were commissioned as joint [[Minister Plenipotentiary|Ministers Plenipotentiary]] on 8 April 1842. Simpson, shortly thereafter, left for England, via Alaska and [[Siberia]], while Ha{{okina}}alilio and Richards departed for the United States, via Mexico, on 8 July. The Hawaiian delegation, while in the United States, secured the assurance of President [[John Tyler]] of its recognition of Hawaiian independence on 19 December, and then proceeded to meet Simpson in Europe and secure formal recognition by Great Britain and France. He was instrumental in arranging conferences between Hawaiian representatives and the British Foreign Office which resulted in a British commitment to recognize the independence of the islands.<ref>[http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/simpson_george_8E.html Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Simpson, Sir George]</ref> On 17 March 1843, King [[Louis Philippe I of France]] recognized Hawaiian independence at the urging of [[Leopold I of Belgium|King Leopold I of Belgium]], and on 1 April, [[George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen|Lord Aberdeen]] on behalf of Queen Victoria, assured the Hawaiian delegation that: "Her Majesty's Government was willing and had determined to recognize the independence of the Sandwich Islands under their present sovereign."
== Later life ==
[[File:Prince of Wales Terrace, Sherbrooke St., Montreal, QC, 1860.jpg|260px|thumb|[[:fr:Prince of Wales Terrace|Prince of Wales Terrace]], built by Gov. Simpson
By then, Simpson and his wife had a large house on the [[Lachine Canal]] across from the depot from which the fur brigades started west.<ref>[http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/simpson_george_8E.html Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Simpson, Sir George]</ref> He also owned other estates such as a Manor in [[Coteau-du-Lac]] that he
He began investing in banks, railroads, ships, mines and canals.<ref>[http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/46/qualityoffriendship.shtml Manitoba History: The Quality of Friendship: Andrew McDermot and George Simpson]</ref> He became a board director and shareholder of Canada’s first bank, the [[Bank of Montreal]], as well as of the [[Bank of British North America]], the [[Montreal and Lachine Railroad]], the [[Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad]], the [[St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad]], the [[Grand Trunk Railway]], and the [[Allan Line Royal Mail Steamers|Montreal Ocean Steamship Company]].<ref>[https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/kidsgeorge.htm Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, George Stewart Simpson]</ref><ref>
His business partners included Canada's richest man [[Sir Hugh Allan]], [[Sir John Rose, 1st Baronet|Sir John Rose]], [[Alexander Mackenzie (explorer)|Sir Alexander Mackenzie]], President [[David Torrance (banker)|David Torrance]], minister [[Luther Hamilton Holton|Luther H. Holton]], Senator [[George Crawford (Canadian politician)|George Crawford]], Senator [[Thomas Ryan (Quebec politician)|Thomas Ryan]], banker [[John Redpath]], and bankers [[John Molson Jr.|John Molson]] and [[William Molson]].<ref>[https://digital.library.mcgill.ca/images/hrcorpreports/pdfs/B/Bank_of_Montreal_1860.pdf 1860, Bank of Montreal, Annual General Meeting]</ref><ref>[http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/simpson_george_8E.html Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Simpson, Sir George]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zEo3AAAAMAAJ&dq=sir+george+simpson+william+molson&pg=PA276 The Charter and By-laws of the City of Montreal : Together with Miscellaneous Acts of the Legislature Relating to the City : with an Appendix]</ref>
With Governor [[Gordon Drummond|Drummond]], [[Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion]], and [[John Young (Canadian politician)|John Young]], they founded the Transmundane Telegraph Company, but the venture later failed.<ref>[https://www-biographi-ca.translate.goog/en/bio/young_john_1811_1878_10F.html?_x_tr_sl=en&_x_tr_tl=fr&_x_tr_hl=fr&_x_tr_pto=sc&_x_tr_sch=http Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Young, John]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=dl89AQAAMAAJ&dq=sir+george+simpson+Telegraph&pg=PA299 Report of the Secretary of States, Transmitting a Statement of ... the Commercial Relations]</ref> In the spring of 1845, he went to [[Washington, D.C.]], to discuss the Oregon boundary with the Americans, which he had already done with [[Sir Robert Peel]]. In 1846, the [[Oregon Treaty]] established the current border. His wife contracted [[tuberculosis]] in 1846 and died in 1853.
In 1854, he was able to travel by rail to [[Chicago]] before he boarded his voyageur canoe at [[Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan|Sault Ste. Marie]]. In 1855, he was in Washington, D.C., and discussed Oregon affairs, and in 1857, defended the HBC monopoly in London. In May 1860, he went by rail to [[Saint Paul, Minnesota]]; decided that his health would not bear the trip to Red River; and returned to Lachine.
[[File:Rosemount, Montreal.jpg|thumb|Rosemount House, McGregor Street, built by [[Sir John Rose, 1st Baronet|Sir John Rose]] on the land of Gov. Simpson in the [[Golden Square Mile]]]]▼
In August 1860, he entertained the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]] at Lachine, who came for the inauguration of [[Victoria Bridge (Montreal)|Victoria Bridge]], in honor of his mother [[Queen Victoria]]. Simpson built [[:fr:Prince of Wales Terrace|Prince of Wales Terrace]] in his honor. The building, made of a limestone facade in the Classical [[Greek Architecture|Greek style]], consisted of a row of nine luxurious houses, and was inhabited by Sir [[William Christopher Macdonald]] and [[Mcgill University]]'s Principal [[William Peterson (academic)|William Peterson]].<ref>[https://cac.mcgill.ca/campus/buildings/Prince_of_Wales_Terrace.html Prince of Wales Terrace (demolished)]</ref> It was later demolished to make room for [[Samuel Bronfman]]'s pavilion, which was seen by [[Alcan]] CEO [[David Culver]] as an unforgivable act of vandalism.<ref>[https://cac.mcgill.ca/campus/buildings/Prince_of_Wales_Terrace.html Prince of Wales Terrace (demolished)]</ref><ref>[https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theglobeandmail.com%2Freport-on-business%2Fdavid-culver-was-a-devoted-ceo-who-fought-to-preserve-history%2Farticle34125652%2F#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url David Culver was a devoted CEO who fought to preserve history]</ref> ▼
[[File:George Caverhill House.JPG|thumb|Galt House, Simpson Street, built by [[Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt]] on the land of Gov. Simpson in the [[Golden Square Mile]]]]▼
A street was named in his honor, named Simpson Street, next to Parc Percy-Walters, McGregor Street, and [[:fr:Maison John-Wilson-McConnell|Maison John-Wilson-McConnell]].<ref>[https://imtl.org/rue_montreal.php?rue=Simpson Imtl.org, Rue Simpson, Montreal]</ref> The park was previously occupied by one of his houses, and was part of his 15 acre estate on [[Mount Royal]].<ref>[http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/simpson_george_8E.html Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Simpson, Sir George]</ref> It was then occupied by Rosemount House, which was built on the land of Governor Simpson, and was the home of [[Sir John Rose, 1st Baronet]] and later, [[William Watson Ogilvie]]. Galt House was also built on Simpson Street by Canadian Founding Father [[Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt]]. The entrance of Simpson Street is now occupied by [[Sir George Simpson (condominiums)|Sir George Simpson Tower]].▼
▲[[File:Rosemount,
Both Simpson Street and Prince of Wales Terrace were located in the [[Golden Square Mile]], a notorious neighborhood of [[Downtown Montreal]] where nearly 3/4 of all the wealth in Canada was held by its inhabitants.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=bpxmNNnjBQoC&q=Golden+Square+Mile+wealth&pg=PA132 Montreal, Fodor's, Patricia Harris, David Lyon Fodor's Travel Publications, 2004]</ref> During that era, most Canadian enterprises were either owned or controlled by approximately fifty men.<ref>Margaret W. Westley, Remembrance of Grandeur, Libre Expression, 1990</ref> As the most important man in the [[North American fur trade]], he was one of them.<ref>[https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/kidsgeorge.htm Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, George Stewart Simpson]</ref>▼
▲In August 1860, he entertained the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]] at Lachine, who came for the inauguration of [[Victoria Bridge (Montreal)|Victoria Bridge]], in
▲[[File:George Caverhill House.JPG|thumb|Galt House, Simpson Street, built by [[Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt]] on the land of
Shortly after the Princes of Wales's visit, Governor Simpson suffered a massive stroke and died six days later in Lachine. At his death in 1860, he left an estate worth over £100,000, which in relation to GDP, amounted to half a billion dollars in 2023 Canadian money.<ref>[http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/simpson_george_8E.html Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Simpson, Sir George]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/ukcompare/|title=Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present|website=MeasuringWorth.com|access-date=2023-02-17}}</ref> He also gave money to the general endowment of [[McGill University]] in 1856, along with [[Peter McGill]] and [[Peter Redpath]], among others.<ref>[https://studyco.com/db/files/images/pdf/1/884_3015839.pdf Subscriptions to the General Endowment]</ref>▼
▲A street was named in his honor,
▲Both Simpson Street and Prince of Wales Terrace were
James Raffan, author of ''Emperor of the North'', was of the view that Governor Simpson should be counted among Canada’s [[founding fathers]] for his role as Governor-in-chief of [[Rupert's Land]], and its later [[Canadian Confederation|merger]] in 1867 to form the ''[[Dominion of Canada]]''.<ref>[https://quillandquire.com/review/emperor-of-the-north-sir-george-simpson-and-the-remarkable-story-of-the-hudson-s-bay-company Emperor of the North: Sir George Simpson and the Remarkable Story of the Hudson’s Bay Company]</ref> In newspapers and books, he has been referred as the ''King of the Fur-trade'', the ''Emperor of the North'', the ''Emperor of the Plains'', the ''Emperor of Lachine'', the ''Birch-bark Emperor'', and the ''Little Emperor''.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=TqspAAAAYAAJ&q=kinf+of+the+fur+trade+emperor&pg=PA157 The Life of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.0, Volume 1]</ref><ref>[https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/simpson_g.html Simpson, George]</ref><ref>Emperor Of The North: Sir George Simpson and the Remarkable Story of the Hudson's Bay Company, by James Raffan, Phyllis Bruce Books, 2010</ref>▼
▲Shortly after the Princes of Wales's visit, Governor Simpson suffered a massive stroke and died six days later in Lachine.
Simpson also had an unbounded passion for [[Napoleon]], and was living during his lifetime.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=TqspAAAAYAAJ&q=simpson+napoleon&pg=PA157 The Life of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.0, Volume 1, page 62-63]</ref> It was one of the passions of his life, collecting every scrap of writing relating to his hero, covering his walls with Napoleonic prints at [[The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site|Lachine Depot]], [[Norway House]] and [[Fort Garry]], and infecting the factors and fur traders of the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] with them.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=TqspAAAAYAAJ&q=simpson+napoleon&pg=PA157 The Life of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.0, Volume 1, page 62-63]</ref>▼
▲James Raffan, author of ''Emperor of the North'', was of the view that
▲Simpson also had
== Children ==
[[File:Sir George Simpson residence in Dorval.jpg|thumb|220px|Sir George Simpson's residence on his island named [[L'Île-Dorval]], acquired during the 19th century, where he received the [[Prince of Wales]]]]
Simpson sired at least eleven children by at least seven women, only one of whom was his wife.<ref>Raffan 2007, p.432.</ref> While in London he produced two daughters by two unknown women. When he left for Canada they were sent to Scotland to be cared for by his relatives. The eldest, Mary Louisa Simpson, was given a £500 dowry on her marriage and moved to Canada. She has at least 111 descendants. The other daughter died early.
In 1817, he produced a daughter by [[Anglo-Métis|half-Cree]] [[washerwoman]] Betsy Sinclair. Betsy Sinclair was soon passed to an accountant whom he promoted. The daughter married an English botanist and died in a canoe accident on her honeymoon.
James Keith Simpson (1823–1901) is poorly documented. Ann Simpson, born in Montreal in 1828, is known only from her baptismal record. Simpson fathered two sons, George Stewart (1827) and John Mackenzie (1829), with Margaret (Marguerite) Taylor.<ref>[https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/_docs/hbca/biographical/s/simpson_george-stewart.pdf Simpson, George Stewart (Junior) (
Soon after the birth of John Mackenzie, Simpson left Margaret to [[cousin marriage|marry his cousin]]. Simpson shocked his peers by neglecting to notify Margaret of his marriage or make any arrangements for the future of his two sons.<ref>Van Kirk, Sylvia. ''Many Tender Ties: Women in Fur-Trade Society, 1670–1870''. University of Oklahoma Press, 1983. pp. 186–187.<!--ISSN/ISBN needed--></ref>
==
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=gov|Simpson was appointed Governor of the Southern Department of Rupert's Land on 29 March 1821
}}
{{reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
* Raffan, James, "Emperor of the North: Sir George Simpson and the Remarkable Story of the Hudson's Bay Company", 2007, which this article summarizes
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* {{cite book|title=Sir George Simpson: overseas governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, a pen picture of a man of action|author=Arthur Silver Morton|orig-year=1944|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|year=2008|isbn=9781436706650|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h4ACAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book|title=The little emperor: Governor Simpson of the Hudson's Bay company|author=John S. Galbraith|author-link = John Semple Galbraith|publisher=Macmillan of Canada|year=1976|isbn=9780770513894|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hoACAAAAMAAJ}}
* Peter C. Newman (2010). Mavericks: Canadian Rebels, Renegades and Antiheroes. HarperCollins Publishers, pp. 45–78; {{ISBN|9781-554684205}}
* Lahey, D. T. (2011). George Simpson: Blaze of Glory. Publishers: Dundurn Press Ltd; {{ISBN|9781554887736}}
* {{cite book|editor-last = Oliver|editor-first = E. H.|editor-link = Edmund H. Oliver|date = 1914|title = The Canadian North-West|title-link = :IArchive:canadiannorthwes01oliv|location = Ottawa|publisher = Printing Bureau|volume = 1|oclc = 212627069}}
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* {{OL author}}
* {{Internet Archive author}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:1790s births]]
[[Category:1860 deaths]]
[[Category:Yale family]]
[[Category:Canadian fur traders]]
[[Category:Date of birth unknown]]
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[[Category:People from Dingwall]]
[[Category:People from Lachine, Quebec]]
[[Category:People
[[Category:Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)]]
[[Category:Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople]]
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