Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester

The Lord Dorchester
21st Governor of the Province of Quebec
In office
1768–1778
MonarchGeorge III
Preceded byJames Murray
Succeeded bySir Frederick Haldimand
23rd Governor General of The Canadas
MonarchGeorge III
Preceded bySir Frederick Haldimand
Succeeded byRobert Prescott
Personal details
Born(1724-09-03)3 September 1724
Strabane, County Tyrone, Ulster, Kingdom of Ireland
Died10 November 1808(1808-11-10) (aged 84)
Maidenhead, Berkshire, England
AwardsKnight of the Order of the Bath
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Kingdom of Great Britain
Branch/service British Army
Years of service1742–1796
RankGeneral
CommandsAmerica
Quebec
The Canadas
Battles/warsWar of the Austrian Succession
Seven Years' War
American War of Independence
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Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester KB (3 September 1724 – 10 November 1808), known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was a British Army officer, peer and colonial administrator. He twice served as Governor of the Province of Quebec, from 1768 to 1778, concurrently serving as Governor General of British North America in that time, and again from 1785 to 1795.[1] The title Baron Dorchester was created on 21 August 1786.

He commanded British troops in the American Revolutionary War, first leading the defence of Quebec during the 1775 rebel invasion, and the 1776 counteroffensive that drove the rebels from the province. In 1782 and 1783, he led as the commander-in-chief of all British forces in North America. In this capacity he was notable for carrying out the Crown's promise of freedom to slaves who joined the British, and he oversaw the evacuation of British forces, Loyalists and more than 3,000 freedmen from New York City in 1783 to transport them to a British colony. Toward this end, Carleton assigned Samuel Birch to create the Book of Negroes.

The military and political career of his younger brother, Thomas Carleton, was interwoven with his own, and Thomas served under him in the Canadas.[2]

  1. ^ "Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester". Canadian Encyclopedia. Toronto: Historica Foundation. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  2. ^ Nelson, pp. 18–19.