James Henry Craig

Military career

James Henry Craig was born with Gibraltar and goes down from a sizeable Scottish family. He enters the army at the 15 years age and finds in America in 1774. He takes part in the war of independence of the United States and helps to push back the invasion of Canada by the Americans. He fights on several faces and is wounded with at least two recoveries. He points out himself and goes up in rank, becoming general major in 1794.

In 1795, the Netherlands are invaded by the revolutionary army of France. The Stathouder Guillaume V of Orange-Nassau takes refuge in England. A British force under the command of Craig is sent to the Cape in order to protect the Dutch colony against the French. Forwarding was a success though the occupation of the colony benefitted the British interests and not in Guillaume V. Craig remains as governor until 1797, then it leaves for the British India, where he becomes commander-in-chief on February 25th, 1801.

It returns to Europe shortly after and exerts a command in the Mediterranean, in spite of its bad health (chronic Hydropisie).

Governor

Feeling better, it accepts the general governor position of British North America and lieutenant-governor of the Low-Canada in 1807. However, as of its arrival with Quebec it must be often confined to bed and cannot thus directly take note of the situation of the colony. It tries to put the province in a state of defense because a war with the the United States seems imminent.

As from 1808, Craig tends to support the party of the British vis-a-vis the Canadian Parti. He endorses the proposed measures by his advisers, of which its secretary Hermann Witsius Ryland and the bishop Anglican Jacob Mountain: domination of the British in the stations - keys of the administration and the magistrature, construction of schools anglo-Protestant women, put under supervision of the catholic clergy and settlement of the grounds lately opened at colonization by British or American Loyal supporters. He relieves of the people close to the newspaper the Canadian , body of the Canadian-French. The conflict degenerates between the proud and authoritative governor and the population mainly French.

At the time of the session of 1809 of the Room of assembly, two questions dominate the confrontation between the governor and the French-speaking majority of the deputies: the eligibility of the judges to the Room, and the expulsion of the Jewish deputy Ezekiel Binder. Twice, in 1809 and 1810, Craig dissolves the Room in the hope which the British party will leave victorious the new elections, but in vain. In 1810, it makes imprison the chiefs of the Canadian Parti and the persons in charge of the Canadian without lawsuit under forged charges of sedition and treason. The deputy Pierre-Stanislas Bédard, chief of the Canadian Party and founder of the Canadian , spends more than one year in prison.

Determined to crush the democratic aspirations and French Canadian nationalism as well as the requests for responsible Government, Craig considers more permanent measurements: union of two Canadas, parliamentary on-representation of the Cantons of the East, removal of the Room of assembly. But it does not succeed in making accept its plan by the authorities of London.

Since 1810, feeling its health to weaken, Craig asked its replacement. It is only in June 1811 that it embarks for Great Britain, and it dies in January 1812.

The Craig way

It tried to encourage the English immigration of Great Britain and the United States. For this purpose, it made contruire a way which crosses the Cantons of the East and which still bears its name on part of its layout. It is the Chemin Craig.

See too

List of the governors of Canada before the Confederation
Fourth room of assembly of Low-Canada
Fifth room of assembly of Low-Canada
Sixth room of assembly of Low-Canada
Seventh room of assembly of Low-Canada

External bonds

Article on the biographical Dictionary of Canada