Duncan Cameron (
c 1764 – May 15, 1848) was a
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
fur trader
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal ecosystem, boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals h ...
and political figure in
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...
.
He was born in
Glenmoriston,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
around 1764. He came to
Tryon County, New York
Tryon County was a county in the colonial Province of New York in the British American colonies. It was created from Albany County on March 24, 1772, and was named for William Tryon, the last provincial governor of New York. The county's boun ...
with his parents in 1773. His father served with a loyalist regiment during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
and the family came to Upper Canada after the war. In 1785, he began work as a clerk for a fur trading company in the
Lake Nipigon
Lake Nipigon ( ; ; ) is a freshwater lake in Northwestern Ontario. Part of the Great Lakes drainage basin, it drains through the Nipigon River into Lake Superior. It is the largest lake entirely within the Canadian province of Ontario.
Ety ...
area. In 1795, he 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 ...
and became a partner in charge of the Nipigon department. In 1807, he was placed in charge of the
Lake Winnipeg
Lake Winnipeg () is a very large, relatively shallow lake in North America, in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Its southern end is about north of the city of Winnipeg. Lake Winnipeg is Canada's sixth-largest freshwater lake and the third- ...
department with
Alexander MacKay and, in 1811, took charge of the Lac La Pluie department. Throughout this period, he had been in fierce competition 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 ...
.
In 1814, he and
Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield
Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield (20 November 1782 – 23 February 1835) was a Canadian businessman and politician. He was the fourth son of Alexander Macdonell of Greenfield and Janet Macdonell of Aberchalder (a sister of John Macdonell ...
were placed in charge of the
Red River department. They stirred up resentment among the
Métis people
The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They hav ...
and led raids against the Hudson's Bay
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hudson's Bay ...
. He was arrested by
Colin Robertson and sent back to
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
for trial. He was acquitted and compensated for false arrest. In 1820, he returned to Upper Canada and settled in
Glengarry County
Glengarry County, an area covering , is a county in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is still inhabited by the descendants of 18th and early 19th-century Scottish Highland pioneer settlers from Lochaber, was historically a Gàidhealtachd commun ...
. Cameron represented the county in the
9th Parliament.
He died at
Williamstown in 1848.
References
External links
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Duncan
1760s births
1848 deaths
Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
Immigrants to the Province of Quebec (1763–1791)
People from Rupert's Land
United Empire Loyalists
Politicians from Inverness
Canadian fur traders
19th-century Canadian merchants
Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario