Angus Bethune (9 September 1783 – 13 November 1858) was the oldest son of the Reverend John Bethune. He had several distinguished brothers: Alexander Neil, who became Anglican bishop of Toronto;

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, Anglican clergyman, dean of the diocese of Montreal and principal of McGill University; James Gray prominent Upper Canada businessman;

Donald Donald is a Scottish masculine given name. It is derived from the Gaelic name ''Dòmhnall''.. This comes from the Proto-Celtic *''Dumno-ualos'' ("world-ruler" or "world-wielder"). The final -''d'' in ''Donald'' is partly derived from a misinter ...

, an important political figure in Upper Canada. At the time of his birth his father was stationed with the 1st battalion of the Royal Highland Emigrants on Carleton Island, New York, where Lake Ontario empties into the St. Lawrence River. Later, after the Treaty of Paris was signed ending the American Revolutionary War the family briefly resided at Fort Oswegatchie (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) before moving to Montreal when Angus was still a very young child. By 1787 his father had moved once again to Glengarry County in what later became Upper Canada. Angus joined the

North West Company The North West Company was a Fur trade in Canada, Canadian fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in the regions that later became Western Canada a ...

at an early age. In 1804 he was posted to Whitemud River at the southern tip of Lake Manitoba. By 1810, he was working with Alexander Henry the younger and they travelled to

Rocky Mountain House Rocky Mountain House is a town in west-central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of Red Deer at the confluence of the Clearwater and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 22 (Cowboy Trail) and Highway 11 (David ...

(Alta). There he met David Thompson and assisted Thompson with preparations for his trek through the Rocky Mountains. Thompson was attempting to reach the mouth of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

and establish the North West Company there ahead of their rival, the

Pacific Fur Company The Pacific Fur Company (PFC) was an American fur trade venture wholly owned and funded by John Jacob Astor that functioned from 1810 to 1813. It was based in the Pacific Northwest, an area contested over the decades among the United Kingdom of G ...

. Bethune was to be the NWC person in charge of learning the "China" trade. In the fall of 1813, he witnessed the NWC's purchase of

Fort Astoria Fort Astoria (also named Fort George) was the primary Fur trade, fur trading post of John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company (PFC). A maritime contingent of PFC staff was sent on board the ''Tonquin (1807 ship), Tonquin'', while another party tra ...

from the PFC. By 1814 he was a partner in the company and was travelling to China. Bethune also became an important figure with the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

after the amalgamation. He served as a chief factor in a number of locations. After retirement, he became a director of the

Bank of Upper Canada The Bank of Upper Canada was established in 1821 under a charter granted by the legislature of Upper Canada in 1819 to a group of Kingston merchants. The charter was appropriated by the more influential Executive Councillors to the Lt. Governor, t ...

. Angus was part of a prominent family which included four brothers of note. Alexander Neil, became bishop of the diocese of Toronto, James Gray was a businessman,

was an important political figure in Upper Canada and

was an Anglican clergyman and acting principal of McGill University. He had six children by his marriage to Louisa, daughter of The Hon. Roderick Mackenzie of Terrebonne,Jones, Gwynneth C. D. The Historical Roots of Métis Communities North of Lake Superior. Prepared for the Métis Nation of Ontario, 31 Mar. 2015, p. 186. Zotero, http://www.metisnation.org/media/586242/mno_report_on_historic_metis_north_of_lake_superior_(march2015).pdf . one of whom, Norman, went on to have a medical career worthy of note. One of his great - grand sons was the famous Dr. Norman Bethune that went to China in the 1930s. Bethune died in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in 1858.

References

External links

Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bethune, Angus 1783 births 1858 deaths North West Company people Canadian fur traders United Empire Loyalists

See also

References

External links