Nicholas Garry
| Nicholas Garry | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1782 England |
| Died | 1856-12-24 Claygate, Surrey, England |
| Occupation | Merchant; Hudson's Bay Company director and deputy governor |
| Mother | |
Nicholas Garry (c. 1782 – 24 December 1856) was a British merchant and Hudson's Bay Company director who served as deputy governor of the HBC from 1822 to 1835, and who played a central role in reconciling the competing personnel of the HBC and the North West Company following their 1821 merger. His 1821 diplomatic mission brought him to Fort William (present-day Thunder Bay), among other posts across Rupert's Land.
Early life
Garry was most likely the illegitimate son of Nicholas Langley, a London merchant who in 1783 provided for the child's upbringing and left £1,000 in trust on his behalf.[1] He was raised by Thomas and Sarah Langley and received an education thorough enough to give him fluency in German, French, and Russian. Before 1811 he conducted a mercantile business in Riga, and by 1815 the London directory listed him as a partner in "Garry and Curtis," a firm engaged in trade between Russia and Great Britain.[1][2]
Hudson's Bay Company career
Thomas Langley's position as an Hudson's Bay Company director, held since 1807, opened the door for Garry's own appointment to the London committee in 1817.[1] When preliminary discussions about a merger between the HBC and the North West Company were underway, Garry volunteered in February 1821 for what was described as the "mission of adjustment and conciliation." The merger agreement was signed on 26 March 1821; it divided the new HBC into two departments, each governed by its own council. The London committee appointed Garry president of the Council of the Northern Department on 28 March 1821, authorizing him to implement the merger terms in the field.[1]
Accompanied by former NWC partner Angus Bethune, Garry left London on 29 March 1821, keeping a detailed diary throughout the journey. John McLoughlin joined the party in Liverpool, and the three sailed from there for New York on 31 March aboard the Amity. In Montreal, Garry met Simon McGillivray, noting with some irony that McGillivray had until recently been among the most determined opponents of HBC interests.[1] William McGillivray also joined the party for the westward leg of the journey.
Mission to Fort William and the interior
The group traveled to Fort William — on the site of present-day Thunder Bay — by 36-foot birchbark canoe with twelve voyageurs, arriving on 1 July 1821.[1] The former NWC wintering partners, initially hostile to the amalgamation terms, were persuaded to accept commissions as chief factors or traders by 11 July. Garry discovered, however, that his commission as president of the Northern Department Council gave him authority only within Rupert's Land, which constrained his influence at Fort William itself.[1]
The party then traveled north and west toward York Factory, with individual canoes and crews of eight men. Garry recorded spirited competition between his canoe and McGillivray's on the water, noting that his men had such an advantage that McGillivray was obliged to take on an extra paddler at Rainy Lake. At an Indian council along the route, Garry reassured those assembled that the merger would work to the benefit of those who were active and honest.[1]
At Norway House on 11 August 1821, Garry presided over the first Council of the Northern Department. The council endorsed appointments made at Fort William and formally shifted the HBC's main supply corridor away from the Montreal–Fort William route to the Hudson Bay–York Factory route, a decision of lasting significance for the geography of the fur trade.[3] The party reached York Factory on 23 August, where Governor William Williams greeted them.[1]
A serious dispute arose when former NWC members, led by McGillivray, objected to Williams taking charge of the Northern Department on account of personal animosity. Garry handled the situation by deferring a final decision until after McGillivray departed York Factory on 29 August, then placing the younger George Simpson at the head of the Northern Department while assigning Williams to the less prominent Southern Department. The maneuver succeeded. Williams subsequently reported "universal satisfaction, confidence, and unanimity," and Simpson observed that former opponents "no longer received us as enemies but met us as acquaintances," crediting Garry's "handsome and impartial conduct" with acting "like Majick in removing all sort of jealousy."[1] Garry left York Factory on 13 September 1821 aboard the Prince of Wales.[1]
As a recognition of his 1821 visit to the Red River district, Fort Garry was constructed at the Red River colony in 1822 and named in his honour.[1]
Deputy governor
Garry became deputy governor of the HBC in 1822 and held the position until 1835. During this period he remained interested in expanding HBC trade with Russia and China and took an active interest in religious affairs within the company's territories.[1][4]
Death
In July 1835 Garry was declared of unsound mind and relieved of all his duties. He spent the remaining twenty-one years of his life institutionalized, never recovering his sanity. He died on 24 December 1856 at Claygate, Surrey, England.[1][5]
Garry married Phoebe Vesey on 4 August 1829 at St George parish church, Hanover Square, London, and had at least one son.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 John McFarland."John McFarland, "GARRY, NICHOLAS," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8."[website].Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8 (University of Toronto/Université Laval).1985.University of Toronto/Université Laval.Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open)
- ↑ "London directory."[directory].1815.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "Hudson's Bay Record Society publications."[book].HBRS, 1 (Rich); 2 (Rich and Fleming); 3 (Fleming); 10 (Rich).Hudson's Bay Record Society.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ E. E. Rich."History of the Hudson's Bay Company."[book].1960.vols. 2–3.(Rights: unknown | Access: open)
- ↑ "Death certificate, Nicholas Garry, 24 December 1856."[record].GRO (London).(Rights: unknown | Access: open)