• Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
James McGill of Montreal

James McGill of Montreal

Paperback

Historical FiguresGeneral Political Science

Currently unavailable to order

ISBN10: 0773512977
ISBN13: 9780773512979
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
Published: Sep 1 1995
Pages: 200
Weight: 0.92
Height: 0.80 Width: 7.04 Depth: 9.36
Language: English

James McGill is well known as the founder of McGill University but the rest of his accomplishments remain little known. This new biography reveals the fascinating life story of a man who, as fur trader, merchant, public servant, and colonel of the militia, played a significant role in Canada's development.

McGill came to Canada from Scotland in 1766 at the age of twenty-two. After ten years as a fur trader, he moved to Montreal and cofounded Todd, McGill & Co. He continued in the fur trade but also encouraged general trade and in later years pioneered the export of goods to Britain. Active in politics, McGill was a magistrate of Montreal and a member of the first parliament of Lower Canada. He also served for many years as a member of the Governor's Executive Council. During the War of 1812 he commanded the militia that defended Montreal, helping to foil the United States's attempts to annex Canada.

Educated at Glasgow University, McGill never lost his love of learning, and his bequest of land and an endowment to found a college bearing his name was a gesture fully consistent with his generous character and strong commitment to the city he had made his own.

Also from

Frost, Stanley

Also in

Historical Figures