| The Right Honourable The Lord Lisgar GCB, GCMG, PC |
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| In office 1 March 1853 – 30 January 1855 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Earl of Aberdeen |
| Preceded by | Lord Naas |
| Succeeded by | Edward Horsman |
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| In office 1861 – 1867 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | William Denison |
| Succeeded by | The Earl Belmore |
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| In office 1869 – 1872 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Monck |
| Succeeded by | The Earl of Dufferin |
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| Born | 31 August 1807 Bombay, India |
| Died | 6 October 1876 |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Adelaide Dalton (d. 1895) |
John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar GCB, GCMG, PC (31 August 1807 – 6 October 1876), known as Sir John Young, 2nd Baronet, from 1848 to 1870, was the twelfth governor of New South Wales and the second Governor General of Canada. In September 1870 he was bestowed a peerage of the United Kingdom as Baron Lisgar of Lisgar and of Bailieborough Castle in the County of Cavan.[1]
Contents |
Early life
His father William was a director of the East India Company [1] and he was born in Bombay, India. Young sat in the House of Commons as a Tory member for Cavan between 1831 and 1855. He married the 14-year-old Lady Adelaide Annabella Dalton on 8 April 1835. From 1841 to 1846, he occupied a cabinet minister's post in the government of Sir Robert Peel. He succeeded to the baronetcy in 1848, thus becoming Sir John Young, Bt. He was appointed Lord High Commissioner to the Ionian Islands, then under British "protection", in 1855. The islanders were seeking union with Greece, and his recommendation that Corfu and Paxos be made British colonies was leaked and published in the London Daily News, embarrassed the Government and led to his recall in 1859.[2]
Governor of New South Wales
He was appointed as the twelfth Governor of New South Wales, Australia on 18 January 1861 and arrived in Sydney on 21 March with his wife. Soon after his arrival the Legislative Council rejected John Robertson's land reform proposals and the Premier Charles Cowper asked Young to swamp the Council with 21 new members. Although the previous governor William Denison, had recommended against this course, Young agreed. However, before administering the oath to the new members the President of the Council, Sir William Burton, announced his resignation and left the chamber. Other members followed his example, there was no quorum, and on the same day Parliament was prorogued. This meant that the Council five-year terms ran out and Young appointed a new Council to life terms, which in due course passed the land legislation.[2][3]
In 1865, he was advised by Premier James Martin to appoint two addition members to the Legislative Council to improve its position in that house but he refused, and was subsequently supported by the Colonial Office. In 1866, he refused a request by Premier Cowper for an election on the grounds that an election had be held only the year before. Although he was constantly involved in advising ministers, he found colonial politics tiresome. He left Sydney for England on 24 December 1867.[2]
Governor General of Canada
Young was appointed Administrator of Canada from the time that Lord Monck left office in 1868 until he was sworn in as Governor General on February 2, 1869. As Canada's second Governor General, Lord Lisgar (as he became in 1870) was not shy about voicing criticism or strong opinions. While some resented his independent mind, Sir John A. Macdonald thought Lisgar the most able of the Governors General he had known. A review of Lord Lisgar's term of office and accomplishments explains this high regard. In his first year in office, the Red River Rebellion began under Louis Riel. On December 6, 1869, hopes of appeasement led him to declare an amnesty during the Riel confrontation. Then, in 1870, a rebel group of Irish-Americans, called Fenians, raided Canada in an attempt to win Irish independence from Britain. In both conflicts, Lord Lisgar was a wise mediator who helped lessen some of the potential bitterness. He also prevented the execution of the captured Fenian invaders by sending a sternly worded telegram to those who were ready to apply quick justice.
During this time of considerable turmoil, Canada was also experiencing a period of growth and increasing unity. Manitoba joined Confederation in 1870 and British Columbia, though still uncommitted, was considering union. When a delegation from British Columbia came in June 1870 to discuss joining Canada, Lord Lisgar spoke to them personally of the young country's wish to include the colony in Confederation. British Columbia joined Canada in 1871.
The proposed 1869 transfer of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory from the Hudson's Bay Company to the Crown was delayed until 1870 by the Red River Rebellion. In the interim, Lord Lisgar was the nominal Lieutenant Governor of the huge parcel of land. He was a strong supporter of Confederation and played a positive role in building a united Canada by touring the country extensively and promoting this goal.
Lord Lisgar made important advances in relations with the United States. He was the first Governor General to travel to the United States, meeting President Ulysses S. Grant and inaugurating a rail link between Boston and Portland with Saint John and Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1871 at the border crossing between Vanceboro, Maine and St. Croix, New Brunswick. In 1869 he also received the first royal visitor since Confederation — the 19-year old Prince Arthur, third son of Queen Victoria. Prince Arthur would return to Canada in 1911, as the Duke of Connaught, to be Governor General.
Lord Lisgar and his wife, Lady Adelaide Annabella Dalton Lisgar, added many important traditions to Rideau Hall. They held the first recorded New Year's Levee in 1869, while he was Administrator, and organized Christmas and Garden Parties. And in 1872, the noon gun firing on Parliament Hill was established, and the Governor General's Foot Guards army regiment was created. The first duty of the new regiment was to provide a guard of honour for Lord Lisgar on his departure from office in June of the same year.
After completing his term of office in Canada, Lord Lisgar returned to Ireland. Lady Lisgar re-married twice after Lord Lisgar's death on October 6, 1876, and died in Paris on July 19, 1895 at the age of 74. Having died without either issue or close relations, his barony ended with him.
Lisgar Collegiate Institute on Lisgar Street in Ottawa takes its name from Lord Lisgar. A likeness of Lord Lisgar is prominently displayed in the school's library.
Lisgar Street in Toronto and Lisgar Avenue in Saskatoon takes its name from Lord Lisgar.
In Mississauga, Ontario, a community in the Meadowvale neighbourhood has been called Lisgar. In the fall of 2007, a new Lisgar GO Station will be opened on the Milton GO train line, and a Lisgar Middle School in the neighbourhood within the Peel District School Board.
Notes
- ^ a b The Times, 26 September 1870, The Mails, &c.-Southampton
- ^ a b c Ward, John M. (1976). "Young, Sir John [Baron Lisgar (1807 - 1876)]". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A060488b.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
- ^ Serle, Percival. "Cowper, Sir Charles (1807 - 1875)". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Project Gutenberg Australia. http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogCl-Cu.html#cowper1. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
References
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alexander Saunderson |
Member of Parliament for Cavan 1831–1855 |
Succeeded by Robert Burrowes |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Alexander Perceval |
Junior Lord of the Treasury 1841–1844 |
Succeeded by The Lord Arthur Lennox |
| Preceded by Sir Denis Le Marchnat |
Financial Secretary to the Treasury 1844–1845 |
Succeeded by Edward Cardwell |
| Preceded by Sir George Clerk |
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury 1845–1846 |
Succeeded by Henry Tufnell |
| Preceded by Lord Naas |
Chief Secretary for Ireland 1853–1855 |
Succeeded by Edward Horsman |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by William Denison |
Governor of New South Wales 1861–1867 |
Succeeded by The Earl Belmore |
| Preceded by The Viscount Monck |
Governor General of Canada 1869–1872 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Dufferin |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Marquess of Headfort |
Lord Lieutenant of Cavan 1871–1876 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Lanesborough |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Lisgar 1870–1876 |
Extinct |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by William Young |
Baronet (of Bailieborough) 1848–1876 |
Succeeded by William Young |
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