Douglas, Sir James

Douglas, Sir James, 1803–77, Canadian fur trader and colonial governor, b. British Guiana (now Guyana). As a young man, he went to Canada in the service of the North West Company; soon after its merger (1821) with the Hudson's Bay Company, he accompanied the noted John McLoughlin to the Columbia River country. Rising eventually to chief factor, he succeeded (1846) McLoughlin in command of the Hudson's Bay Company territory W of the Rockies. On Vancouver Island, on the site of the present Victoria, he built (1843) Fort Camosun (later Fort Victoria), which became (1849) the western headquarters for the company. In 1851 he was appointed governor of Vancouver Island, and in 1858 he also became governor of the new colony of British Columbia on the mainland. At this time Douglas severed his long association with the Hudson's Bay Company. His governorship, which extended until 1864, was marked by a firm control of the colonies' affairs, made particularly turbulent by the gold rushes to the Fraser River and to the Cariboo region. Shortly before his retirement he was knighted (1863).

Bibliography

See biographies by R. H. Coats and R. E. Gosnell (rev. ed. 1926), W. N. Sage (1930), and D. Pethick (1969).

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Douglas, Sir James

(born Aug. 15, 1803, Demerara, British Guiana—died Aug. 2, 1877, Victoria, B.C., Can.) Canadian statesman, known as “the father of British Columbia.” He joined the Hudson's Bay Co. in 1821 and became a senior member in charge of operations west of the Rocky Mountains. In 1849 he moved the company's headquarters from Oregon to Vancouver Island. He served as governor of Vancouver from 1851 to 1864. When gold was discovered on the Fraser River in 1858, he extended his authority to the mainland to preserve Britain's Pacific foothold. When Britain created the colony of British Columbia, Douglas was appointed governor (1858–64).