Simon McGillivray
| Simon McGillivray | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1785 Dunlichty parish, Inverness-shire, Scotland |
| Died | 1840-06-09 Blackheath, London, England |
| Occupation | Fur trade merchant; mining administrator; newspaper proprietor |
| Father | |
| Mother | |
| Partner | |
| Siblings | |
Simon McGillivray (c. 1785 – 9 June 1840) was a Scottish-born fur trade merchant and businessman who played a central role in negotiating the 1821 merger of the North West Company with the Hudson's Bay Company, and who visited Fort William in the summer of 1821 to secure acceptance of that union among the wintering partners.[1]
Early life
McGillivray was born around 1785 in Dunlichty parish, Inverness-shire, Scotland, the son of Donald McGillivray, a tenant farmer on the Clovendale estate, and Anne McTavish.[1] His maternal uncle was the prominent fur trade magnate Simon McTavish, whose commercial empire centred on the North West Company. His older brothers William McGillivray and Duncan McGillivray both pursued careers in the North West Company in Canada. Simon, hampered by a lame foot, did not follow the customary path of serving as a clerk in the interior; instead, his uncle sponsored his education and installed him in the London house.[1]
Career
London trade houses
McGillivray worked for McTavish, Fraser and Company in London, an agency founded by his uncle to supply goods to the North West Company, obtain credit, manage shipments, and sell pelts. When Simon McTavish died in 1804, McGillivray inherited £500 from him.[1] The following year he was admitted as a partner with one share in McTavish, Fraser and Company, receiving a second share in 1808. In 1811 he became a partner in McTavish, McGillivrays and Company (the reorganized successor to McTavish, Frobisher and Company), which held a controlling two-thirds interest in McTavish, Fraser and Company.[1]
He visited Montreal in 1804 to gain direct experience of North West Company affairs, taking part in negotiations for a company charter and in efforts to counter the Hudson's Bay Company's position. When Lord Selkirk announced his plans for a Red River colony, McGillivray led a press campaign against him in England, arguing publicly that the scheme would destroy the fur trade.[1]
The 1821 merger
By the autumn of 1820 the conflict between the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company had grown costly and the NWC's profits were falling sharply. McGillivray's older brother William McGillivray, the senior NWC partner, recognized the gravity of the situation. Simon then devised the solution: a full merger of the two rivals. He later wrote that in December 1820 he personally opened merger negotiations with the Hudson's Bay Company, working with his associate Edward Ellice, and that the arrangement was concluded within three months.[1]
In May 1821 McGillivray travelled to Montreal to work toward acceptance of the agreement. On 12 June he and William departed for Fort William—the North West Company's great inland depot on Lake Superior—to present the terms to the assembled wintering partners. The negotiation went swiftly; Colin Robertson of the Hudson's Bay Company noted that McGillivray had "carried everything without even the semblance of opposition," with the deed and release signed on the second day and harmony restored on the third.[1] On 21 July, with his mission at Fort William complete, McGillivray proceeded to Hudson Bay to conclude the remaining formalities.[1]
The merged enterprise was formally constituted in late March 1821. McGillivray and his brother sat on the new organization's joint committee, but conditions for the old NWC partners deteriorated quickly. McTavish, McGillivrays and Company was dissolved in 1822, replaced by McGillivrays, Thain and Company; both firms were bankrupt by 1825. Edward Ellice, who had deep interests in the southwestern fur trade, emerged as the principal long-term beneficiary of the arrangement.[1]
Later career
After 1821 McGillivray worked primarily from London. In 1829 he was sent to Mexico to reorganize the silver-mining operations of the United Mexican Mining Association of London.[1] On his return to England he acquired the Morning Chronicle and London Advertiser, becoming its proprietor in 1835. He served as provincial grand master of Upper Canada for Freemasonry from 1822 until his death.[1]
Personal life
In November 1837 McGillivray married Ann Easthope, eldest daughter of his business partner John Easthope, in London.[1] They had two daughters; the second was born after his death.
Death
McGillivray died on 9 June 1840 at Blackheath, near London.[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 Fernand Ouellet."Fernand Ouellet, "McGILLIVRAY, SIMON," Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7."[website].Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 7 (University of Toronto/Université Laval).1988.University of Toronto/Université Laval.Link.(Rights: copyrighted | Access: open)
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