William McGillivray | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Partner of the North West Company | |
| In office 1804–1821 | |
| Preceded by | Simon McTavish |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada | |
| In office 1808–1810 | |
| Preceded by | John Richardson |
| Succeeded by | Thomas McCord |
| Member of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada | |
| In office 1814–1825 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1764 Dunlichty, Inverness-shire |
| Died | 16 October 1825 (aged 60–61) St John's Wood, London |
| Spouse(s) | Susan married McGillivray Magdalen MacDonald of Garth |
| Children | 5 sons and 6 daughters |
| Residence(s) | Chateau St.-Antoine, Golden Square Mile, Montreal |
Lt.-Colonel The Hon. William McGillivray (1764 – 16 October 1825), of Chateau St. Antoine, Montreal, was a Scottish-born fur trader who succeeded his uncle Simon McTavish as the last chief partner of the North West Company until a merger between the NWC and her chief rival - the Hudson Bay Company. He was elected a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada and afterwards was appointed to the Legislative Council of Lower Canada. In 1795, he was inducted as a member into the Beaver Club. During the War of 1812 he was given the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Corps of Canadian Voyageurs (the ultimate rank in the Corps) as he was the highest up in the NWC's business hierarchy; the ranks of the Corps reflected one's position within the NWC as the Company had created the Corps under their own volition, and using employees as soldiers. He owned substantial estates in Scotland (Bhein Ghael Estate), Lower (12000 acres in Inverness Township) and Upper Canada (Plantagenet Township). His home in Montreal was one of the early estates of the Golden Square Mile (like many other members of the Beaver Club). McGillivray Ridge in British Columbia is named for him, as well as a handful of elementary schools in Ontario, Quebec, or British Columbia.[1]: 168 [2]
- ^ Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986), British Columbia Place Names (3rd, 1997 ed.), Vancouver: UBC Press, ISBN 0-7748-0636-2
- ^ "Biography – McGILLIVRAY, WILLIAM – Volume VI (1821-1835) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". www.biographi.ca. Retrieved 8 October 2023.