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Until this great work
is completed, our dominion is little more than a geographical expression
- Sir John A. Macdonald |
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Governor General from
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1868 - 1872 |
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John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar, 2nd Bart
Appointed:
December 29, 1868
Sworn in: February 2, 1869, Montreal,
Quebec
Born: August 31, 1807, Bombay, India
Died: October 6, 1876
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The
Governor General |
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Lord Lisgar, Canada's second
Governor General, was not shy
about voicing criticism or
strong opinions. While some
resented his independent mind,
Sir John A. Macdonald thought
Lisgar the most able of the
Governors General he had known.
A review of Lord Lisgar's term
of office and accomplishments
explains this high regard.
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Lord Lisgar was appointed
Administrator of Canada from the
time that Lord Monck left office
in 1868 until he was sworn in as
Governor General on February 2,
1869. In his first year in
office, the Red River rebellion
began under Louis Riel. On
December 6, 1869, hopes of
appeasement led him to declare
an amnesty during the Riel
confrontation. Then, in 1870, a
rebel group of Irish-Americans,
called Fenians, raided Canada in
an attempt to win Irish
independence from Britain. In
both conflicts, Lord Lisgar was
a wise mediator who helped
lessen some of the potential
bitterness. He also prevented
the execution of the captured
Fenian invaders by sending a
sternly worded telegram to those
who were ready to apply quick
justice. |
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During this time of considerable
turmoil, Canada was also
experiencing a period of growth
and increasing unity. Manitoba
joined Confederation in 1870 and
British Columbia, though still
uncommitted, was considering
union. When a delegation from
British Columbia came in June
1870 to discuss joining Canada,
Lord Lisgar spoke to them
personally of the young
country's wish to include the
colony in Confederation. British
Columbia joined Canada in 1871.
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The proposed 1869 transfer of
Rupert's Land from the Hudson's
Bay Company to the Crown was
delayed until 1870 by the Riel
rebellion. In the interim, Lord
Lisgar was the nominal
Lieutenant Governor of the huge
parcel of land. He was a strong
supporter of Confederation and
played a positive role in
building a united Canada by
touring the country extensively
and promoting this goal. |
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Lord Lisgar made important
advances in relations with the
United States. He was the first
Governor General to travel to
the United States, meeting
President Ulysses S. Grant and
inaugurating a rail link between
Boston and Portland with St.
John and Fredericton, New
Brunswick in 1871. In 1869 he
also received the first royal
visitor since Confederation –
the 19-year old Prince Arthur,
third son of Queen Victoria.
Prince Arthur would return to
Canada in 1911, as the Duke of
Connaught, to be Governor
General. |
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Lord Lisgar and his wife, Lady
Adelaide Annabella Dalton
Lisgar, added many important
traditions to Rideau Hall. They
held the first recorded New
Year's Levee in 1869, while he
was Administrator, and organized
Christmas and Garden Parties.
And in 1872, the noon gun firing
on Parliament Hill was
established, and the Governor
General's Foot Guards army
regiment was created. The first
duty of the new regiment was to
provide a guard of honour for
Lord Lisgar on his departure
from office in June of the same
year. |
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Prior to coming to Canada, Lord
Lisgar had gained extensive
experience in both politics and
colonial administration. Between
1831 and 1835, he sat as a
member of Parliament in the
British House of Commons. He
married the 14-year-old Lady
Adelaide Annabella Dalton on
April 8, 1835. From 1841 to
1846, he occupied a cabinet
minister's post in the
government of Sir Robert Peel. |
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After completing his term of
office in Canada, Lord Lisgar
returned to Ireland. He was
appointed Lord High Commissioner
to the Ionian Islands from 1855
to 1859, followed by a post as
the Governor of New South Wales,
Australia, from 1860 to 1867.
Lady Lisgar re-married twice
after Lord Lisgar's death on
October 6, 1876, and died in
Paris on July 19, 1895 at the
age of 74. |
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