George Hunter Cary | |
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![]() Cary, c. 1860 | |
Attorney General of British Columbia | |
In office 1859–1861 | |
Governor | James Douglas |
Attorney General of Vancouver Island | |
In office 1859–1864 | |
Governor | James Douglas |
Member of the Vancouver Island Legislative Assembly for Victoria Town | |
In office 1860–1863 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Woodford, Essex, United Kingdom | 16 January 1832
Died | 16 July 1866 London, United Kingdom | (aged 34)
Spouse |
Ellen Martin (m. 1858) |
Alma mater | King's College London |
George Hunter Cary (16 January 1832 – 16 July 1866) was an English barrister and colonial official. Born in Essex, he studied law in London, and was recommended for a colonial posting by a family friend. Arriving in British Columbia in 1859, he served as its first Attorney General until 1861, as well as Attorney General of Vancouver Island and later as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island for the constituency of Victoria Town. Cary was noted for his advocacy and implementation of the Torrens land title system in British Columbia, as well as for his eccentricity and tendency for physical altercations with his political and legal opponents.
He engaged in several ill-fated business ventures, including an unsuccessful purchase of Victoria's water supply and investment into two road construction projects in the rural mainland; one was liquidated after he was accused of illegal land speculation, while the other drew later allegations of biological warfare against the First Nations during the 1862 smallpox epidemic. His mental condition continued to deteriorate after leaving office in 1864. He became financially destitute after the construction of his ornate mansion, Cary Castle, and failed investments in the Cariboo Gold Rush. After his clerk witnessed several bouts of absurd behaviour from Cary in 1865, he was tricked into returning to London via a forged notification that he had been appointed Lord Chancellor. He died of a suspected stroke or heart failure soon after.