b. medium1786(?)
d. 1860-09-07
George Simpson, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company and businessman, was born in
Scotland in 1786. An illegitimate child, he was raised by his aunt and uncle. Having
obtained only a parish education, Simpson travelled to
London in 1800 and was given a job at his uncle's sugar company. This company merged with
Wedderburn & Company in 1812. It was through
Andrew Colvile, a stock holder of Wedderburn and a member of the HBC governing board, that Simpson's
keen business sense was noticed and he was given the job of governor of
Rupert's Land in 1820.
Simpson possessed a natural aptitude for business and a tremendous, almost manic energy.
Simpson brought both of these qualities with him to Canada. His 40 years as governor
of
Rupert's Land saw the HBC reach its zenith in geography and commercial success. Simpson reorganized
the fur trade and pushed the HBC into expanding its interest beyond fur to almost
anything that could be had in areas where it operated. Not content to issue orders
from behind a desk at headquarters at Fort York or Lachine, Simpson preferred to see
things as they were on the ground, and he embarked on epic voyages throughout his
career—by horse, canoe, and foot—to the HBC's far-flung posts in North America. His
advice to the HBC governing council in
London was always respected and usually followed. With profits soaring to from 10 to 25
per cent, he was given great leeway in making decisions, and was a defacto viceroy
for the company in Canada. Friends and enemies alike referred to him as “Emperor of
the Plains” and “The Birch-bark Emperor”.
In the West, Simpson embarked on a trade offensive against the HBC's two biggest competitors:
America and Russia. Successful, the HBC soon dominated trade from the
Columbia to Alaska. By 1833 American maritime trade had been virtually crushed and the policy
of vigorously trapping out the Snake country had discouraged American inland traders.
The
Oregon Country, however, could not be held in the face of increasing numbers of American settlers.
At first Simpson hoped to provoke an incident between the two governments that would
lead to the area being declared British, but by 1840 the sheer number of American
settlers convinced Simpson that the HBC would eventually be forced out. In 1842, he
ordered the construction of new headquarters for the district on
Vancouver Island to replace
Fort Vancouver, which he believed (correctly) would soon be part of the United States.
Simpson spent most of the 1850s in Montreal, tending to HBC and private interests.
He died on 7 September 1860.