Robert William Weir Carrall (February 2, 1837 – September 19, 1879) 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 ...

physician and politician Born in Carrall's Grove, near

Woodstock The Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held from August 15 to 18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. Billed as "a ...

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 ...

, the son of James and Jane Carrall, Carrall received his MD from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

in 1859. He practiced in British North America for a bit before becoming an assistant surgeon for the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

working in

Emory and Henry College Hospital Emory & Henry College Hospital was a Confederate hospital during the American Civil War. The First Battle of Saltville took place near the hospital. Establishment of the hospital The Confederate command selected the hills of southwest Virginia ...

(1862 to 1863) and at the Marine United States General Hospital at New Orleans (1863 to 1865). In 1865, he moved to

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, where he worked as a medical doctor. In 1867, he moved to

Barkerville Barkerville was the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia, Canada, and is preserved as a historic town. It is located on the north slope of the Cariboo Plateau near the Cariboo Mountains east of Quesnel. BC Highway 26, which ...

where he also invested in mines. A supporter of confederation, he was elected to the

Legislative Council of British Columbia The Legislative Council of British Columbia was created in 1867 for the governor of the "new" United Colony of British Columbia (which was the merger of the old colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia). The merged colony had not there ...

in 1868 and served until 1871. From 1870 to 1871, he was a member of the Executive Council. He was one of three delegates who went to Ottawa to talk about the terms of British Columbia joining Canada. In 1871, he was summoned to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

. In 1879, he introduced a bill to make July 1 a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, federal holiday, statutory holiday, bank holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Types Civic holiday A ''civic holiday'', also k ...

to be called

Dominion Day Dominion Day was a day commemorating the granting of certain countries Dominion status — that is, "autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or externa ...

(now called

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), which was later passed. He served until his death. Carrall Street in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

is named in his honour.

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* 1837 births 1879 deaths Canadian military doctors Canadian senators from British Columbia Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) people Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators McGill University Faculty of Medicine alumni People from Oxford County, Ontario Physicians from British Columbia Union army surgeons 19th-century members of the Senate of Canada {{BritishColumbia-politician-stub

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