George McBeath
Canadian politician
George McBeath (c. 1740 – December 3, 1812) was a fur trader, businessman and political figure in Lower Canada.[1]
He was born in Scotland around 1740 and came to Quebec around 1760. McBeath entered the fur trade in 1765, travelling to the Lake Superior region. In 1772, he became part of a company based at Michilimackinac. He became partners with Simon McTavish and then went into business on his own. With Peter Pond and others, McBeath purchased shares in the North West Company, which he held until 1787. He settled at L'Assomption in 1785.[2]
The Beaver Club was founded in 1785 by Frenchmen and Scots.[3] McBeath was one of the founders of the Beaver Club at Montreal. McBeath was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in a 1793 by-election held after the death of François-Antoine Larocque.[2]
He was named justice of the peace for Montreal district in 1795 and, in 1799, he was appointed customs collector for the port of St Johns (later Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu). McBeath also served as lieutenant-colonel in the militia and was reportedly a Freemason.[2]
In 1780, he married Jane Graham in Montreal and in 1801, Erie Smyth, widow of David McCrae, fur trader.[2]
He died at Montreal in 1812.
External links
- "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
- "George McBeath". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
