Alexander Henry 'The Elder' | |
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| Born | August 1739 |
| Died | 4 April 1824 (aged 84) |
| Known for | Explorer, author, original founder of the Beaver Club, and pioneer of the British-Canadian fur trade |
| Spouse | Julia Calcutt Kittson |
| Children | 6 |
Alexander Henry 'The Elder', in French: Alexandre Henri Le Vieux (August 1739 – 4 April 1824) was an American-born explorer, author, merchant who settled in Quebec following the Conquest of New France and was a partner in the North West Company and a founding member and vice-chairman of the Beaver Club. From 1763 to 1764, he lived and hunted with Wawatam of the Ojibwe, who had adopted him as a brother.[1]
"Blessed with as many lives as a cat", he recounted his time with the Ojibwe and subsequent explorations in his Travels and Adventures in Canada and the Indian Territories between the years 1760 and 1776 (published in New York City in 1809), which he dedicated to his friend Sir Joseph Banks. The book is considered an adventure classic and one of the best descriptions of Native Indian life at this time.
An "easy and dignified" raconteur, in 1776 Henry was invited to give an account of his journeys at the Royal Society in London and at Versailles to Queen Marie Antoinette. In the 1780s, Henry introduced John Jacob Astor into the North American fur trade; subsequently, Astor would stay as Henry's guest during his annual visits to Montreal.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 22 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.