Kenneth MacKenzie (fur trader)
| Kenneth MacKenzie | |
|---|---|
| Kenneth McKenzie | |
| Died | 1816-08-26 near Sault Ste Marie, Ontario |
| Occupation | Fur trader; North West Company partner |
| Father | |
| Mother | |
| Partner | |
Kenneth MacKenzie (born Scotland; died 26 August 1816, near Sault Ste. Marie) was a North West Company fur trader and partner who served as the head of the Fort William department for nearly a decade, making him one of the most senior figures at the company's principal inland depot.
Early career
MacKenzie joined the North West Company on 1 May 1800 as an apprentice clerk, engaged for five years. On 2 June 1800 he departed from Maple Point alongside Daniel Williams Harmon and four fellow clerks, travelling across Lake Superior to Grand Portage. During that first season he managed the Grand Portage depot in the absence of Dr. Henry Munro. He remained based at Grand Portage until around 1803, when he transferred to Kaministiquia — the site that would become Fort William — in what is now Thunder Bay.[1]
Fort William years
On completing his apprenticeship in the autumn of 1805 MacKenzie succeeded Munro as senior officer at Fort William, rising to the rank of chief clerk by 1807. That year he came under consideration for promotion by partners of both the old North West Company and the rival XY Company (New North West Company), which had recently merged back into the NWC. He acquired the share formerly held by John Finlay in 1808 and thereafter served as a proprietor overseeing the Fort William department — the company's great trans-shipment hub on Lake Superior — until late 1815, except for a period of service in Lower Canada during 1812–13.[1]
War of 1812
During the War of 1812, MacKenzie corresponded with Duncan Mackintosh at Sandwich (present-day Windsor), describing the North West Company's mobilization efforts. The letter was intercepted and entered as evidence at the court martial of General William Hull. In October 1812 MacKenzie received a captain's commission in the Corps of Canadian Voyageurs and was discharged from that body in March 1813. He was admitted to the Beaver Club in 1813.[1]
The 1815 rendezvous and the Red River crisis
At the 1815 annual rendezvous at Fort William, MacKenzie attempted to mediate between the wintering partners and the Montreal agents Simon McGillivray and Alexander McKenzie. The winterers' grievances included disrupted supply shipments, John Jacob Astor's tobacco monopoly, low commissions, and the financial drain of the Columbia River operations. McGillivray acknowledged MacKenzie's efforts but noted that he "rather torments than allays" the concerns of the winterers, and MacKenzie declined to join the winterers' investigation committee.[1]
The Red River settlement founded under Lord Selkirk's 1811 land grant was a source of acute tension between the NWC and the Hudson's Bay Company. The NWC authorized Duncan Cameron and Alexander Greenfield Macdonell to act against the settlers. MacKenzie's own approach was cautious: he warned Cameron, "Do not for God sake commit yourself in either action or writing." Despite such counsels, conflict escalated. On 19 June 1816 the Battle of Seven Oaks resulted in the deaths of Governor Robert Semple and about twenty colonists at the hands of Métis employees of the NWC.[1]
Death
Lord Selkirk seized Fort William in August 1816 in retaliation for Seven Oaks. MacKenzie and most of the other NWC partners present were arrested and sent east toward Upper Canada to stand trial. On 26 August 1816 MacKenzie drowned with eight companions when their canoe capsized on Lake Superior near Sault Ste. Marie; he was buried there. Before departing Fort William, MacKenzie had executed his will, naming Roderick McKenzie, John McLoughlin, and George Moffatt as executors — a testament to his extensive connections within the NWC network.[1]
MacKenzie was survived by his partner Louisa and their daughter Margaret.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Jean Morrison."Jean Morrison, "MacKenzie, Kenneth," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5."[website].Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 5 (University of Toronto/Université Laval).1983.University of Toronto/Université Laval.Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open)
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