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DORCHESTER, GUY CARLETON

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Originally appearing in Volume V08, Page 422 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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See also:

DORCHESTER, See also:GUY See also:CARLETON , 1st See also:BARON (1724-1808), See also:British See also:general and See also:administrator, was See also:born at See also:Strabane, Co. See also:Tyrone, See also:Ireland, on the 3rd of See also:September 1724. He served with distinction on the See also:continent under the See also:duke of See also:Cumberland, and in 1759 in See also:America as quartermaster-general, under his friend See also:Wolfe. He was wounded at the See also:capture of See also:Quebec, and promoted to the See also:rank of brigadier-general. In 1766 he was appointed See also:governor-general of See also:Canada, which position he held till 1778. His See also:justice and kindliness greatly endeared him to the recently conquered See also:French-Canadians, and did much to hold them neutral during the See also:War of See also:American See also:Independence. He ordered the first codification of the See also:civil See also:law of the See also:province, and was largely responsible for the passing of the Quebec See also:Act. On the American invasion of Canada in 1775 he was compelled to abandon See also:Montreal and narrowly escaped capture, but defended Quebec (q.v.) with skill and success. In See also:October of the same See also:year he destroyed the American flotilla on See also:Lake See also:Champlain. In 1777 he was superseded in his command of the military forces by See also:Major-General See also:John See also:Burgoyne, and asked to be recalled. He returned, however, to America in May 1782 as See also:commander-in-See also:chief, remaining till See also:November 1783. In 1786 he was again sent to Canada as governor-general and commander of the forces, with the See also:title of Baron Dorchester.

Many important reforms marked his See also:

rule; he administered the See also:country with tact and moderation, and kept it loyal to the British See also:crown amid the ferment caused by the French Revolution, and by the attempts of American emissaries to arouse discontent. In 1791 the province was divided into Upper and See also:Lower Canada by the Constitutional Act. Of this See also:division Carleton disapproved, as he did also of a See also:provision tending to create in the new See also:colony an hereditary See also:aristocracy. In 1796 he insisted on retiring, and returned to See also:England. He died on the loth of November 18o8. He married in 1772 a daughter of the 2nd See also:earl of Effingham, and had nine See also:children, being succeeded in the title by his See also:grandson See also:Arthur. On the See also:death in 1897 of the 4th baron (another grandson) the title became See also:extinct, but was revived in 1899 for his See also:cousin and co-heiress Henrietta See also:Anne as Baroness Dorchester. J. C. Dent's See also:Canadian Portrait See also:Gallery (See also:Toronto, 188o) gives a See also:sketch of See also:Lord Dorchester's Canadian career. His See also:life by A. G.

See also:

Bradley is included in the Makers of Canada See also:series (Toronto). Most of his letters and See also:state papers, which are indispensable for a know-ledge of the See also:period, are in the archives See also:department at See also:Ottawa, and are calendared in Brymner's Reports on Canadian Archives (Ottawa, 1885, seq.). _ (W. L.

End of Article: DORCHESTER, GUY CARLETON

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