b. 1821-03-30
d. 1890-11-20
John Fitzroy de Courcy was born on
30 March 1821 in Corfu, Greece. His association with the colony of
Vancouver Island was limited to his time as a Stipendiary Magistrate, but he is most commonly described
as a military man -- fighting in and with different regiments. De Courcy was the son of Lieutenant Colonel, the Honorary Gerald de Courcy; and was
known as the 31st Baron of Kingsale, and Baron of Ringrove of Ireland -- a
premier Baron.
De Courcy enlisted in the military by the time he reached the age of 17 in
1838, where he entered the 47th Foot and served here until
1849, and in
1853 he was appointed as a Major for the Crimean War.
Only five years after his time in the Crimean War, he traveled to
Vancouver Island landing in
1858. On
23 July 1859,
Governor Douglas appointed de Courcy as Justice of the Peace and Stipendiary Magistrate for the district
of
San Juan. He remained in this position for only two years when he offered his services to the
United States during their Civil War. Here he was assigned as the Colonel to the 16th
Ohio Volunteer Infantry -- he served from
September 1861 until his resignation on
3 March 1864. It is unclear what de Courcy did after his time serving in the Civil War, but the
Daily Colonist reported on his death and commented on his early career. De Courcy died on
20 November 1890 in Florence, Italy.
The Daily Colonist upon his death described de Courcy as pompous, passionate, and indiscreet
but overall a brave and competent officer. Other interesting facts that the article emphasized was his suspected involvement
in “The Pig War” on account of de Courcy committing
an American citizen for trespassing as he had allowed his pig to cross over to the
part of land deemed as British, this is not proven but likely asserted to demonstrate de Courcy's eccentric personality
as a military officer.
- 1. 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Soldier's Profile, John Fitzroy de Courcy: Colonel, Field,
and Staff, Soldiers' Profiles.
- 2. Ibid.
- 3. Ibid.
- 4. From Magistracy to Peerage, The Daily Colonist, 21 December 1890, 3.
- 5. Boyd C. Pratt British Military: DeCourcy, February 2012, 5.
- 6. 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Soldier's Profile.
- 7. The Daily Colonist, 21 December 1890, 3.
- 8. Ibid.
- 9. Ibid.
- 10. Ibid.