Andrew Bannatyne
Encyclopedia
Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne (October 31, 1829 – May 18, 1889) was a Canadian politician, fur trader and leading citizen of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Bannatyne was born on the island of South Ronaldshay, Orkney in Scotland
and was three years old when his father, a British government fisheries official in Stromness
, died. He joined the Hudson's Bay Company
as a 14 year old apprentice clerk and set sail for Canada. His family had had a long association with the Company. Bannatyne's great grandfather was governor of a Hudson's Bay Company district in Rupert's Land
, his grandfather had been governor of York Factory and his uncle was Chief Factor of the Company. He was assigned to Sault Ste. Marie
for two years, joining his uncle, and was then transferred to Fort Garry
.
From 1846, Bannatyne was stationed at Norway House, Red River Colony
, Rupert's Land
in what is now Manitoba
as a junior clerk at the trading post
. He quit the company when his contract expired in 1851 in order to get married and go into business for himself in the Red River Colony where he was arrested by the Hudson's Bay Company for illegal trading, which was a violation of the company's monopoly
over the fur trade
. He was released in a decision by the Company's London office and established what became the largest merchant and outfitting company in the Red River Colony with Alexander Begg. Bannatyne became possibly the wealthiest and most influential citizen in Red River Colony.
He was appointed magistrate
in 1861 and became a member of the Council of Assiniboia
in 1868 which was the appointed administrative body of Rupert's Land
.
During the Red River Rebellion
Bannatyne agreed to serve as postmaster
in the Louis Riel
's Provisional Government of Red River Settlement in 1869 on the condition that the rebel government seek terms with the Dominion of Canada.
After Manitoba was created as a province in 1870 the first session of the Manitoba legislature was held in four rooms of Bannatyne's Winnipeg house.
In 1871, he was appointed Winnipeg's first postmaster and also helped establish the freemasons in Manitoba.
He was appointed to the Temporary North-West Council
in 1872. In the 1874 federal election, he was defeated in his bid for a federal parliamentary seat in Selkirk
being narrowly defeated by Hudson's Bay Company official Donald A. Smith
, but was elected in 1875 to the Canadian House of Commons
as the Liberal
MP for Provencher
filling a vacancy caused by the expulsion of Riel from the House of Commons and his banishment from Canada. He retired from politics in 1878.
Bannatyne helped organize the Winnipeg General Hospital
and was involved in other business and philanthropic ventures in Wnnipeg. He was the first president of Winnipeg's Board of Trade
and first president of the Manitoba Club
.
After become a very rich man, Bannatyne was virtually wiped out when the land boom crashed in 1882. His heavy indebtedness worsened his already poor health and he began to winter in the southern United States in order to ease his constitution.
He died in Minnesota in 1889 while returning from Texas
.
Bannatyne Avenue and École Bannatyne in Winnipeg are named after him.
Bannatyne was born on the island of South Ronaldshay, Orkney in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and was three years old when his father, a British government fisheries official in Stromness
Stromness
Stromness is the second-biggest town in Orkney, Scotland. It is in the south-west of Mainland Orkney. It is also a parish, with the town of Stromness as its capital.-Etymology:...
, died. He joined the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
as a 14 year old apprentice clerk and set sail for Canada. His family had had a long association with the Company. Bannatyne's great grandfather was governor of a Hudson's Bay Company district in Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
, his grandfather had been governor of York Factory and his uncle was Chief Factor of the Company. He was assigned to Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
for two years, joining his uncle, and was then transferred to Fort Garry
Fort Garry
Fort Garry, also known as Upper Fort Garry, was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in what is now downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1822 on or near the site of the North West Company's Fort Gibraltar. Fort Garry was named after Nicholas...
.
From 1846, Bannatyne was stationed at Norway House, Red River Colony
Red River Colony
The Red River Colony was a colonization project set up by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 on of land granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company under what is referred to as the Selkirk Concession. The colony along the Red River of the North was never very successful...
, Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
in what is now Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
as a junior clerk at the trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
. He quit the company when his contract expired in 1851 in order to get married and go into business for himself in the Red River Colony where he was arrested by the Hudson's Bay Company for illegal trading, which was a violation of the company's monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
over the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
. He was released in a decision by the Company's London office and established what became the largest merchant and outfitting company in the Red River Colony with Alexander Begg. Bannatyne became possibly the wealthiest and most influential citizen in Red River Colony.
He was appointed magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
in 1861 and became a member of the Council of Assiniboia
Council of Assiniboia
The Council of Assiniboia was, from 1821 until 1870, the appointed administrative body of Rupert's Land.-History:This Council was created by the Hudson's Bay Company to govern the territory following its merger with the North West Company, and the death of Lord Selkirk...
in 1868 which was the appointed administrative body of Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
.
During the Red River Rebellion
Red River Rebellion
The Red River Rebellion or Red River Resistance was the sequence of events related to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by the Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Settlement, in what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba.The Rebellion was the first crisis...
Bannatyne agreed to serve as postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
in the Louis Riel
Louis Riel
Louis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
's Provisional Government of Red River Settlement in 1869 on the condition that the rebel government seek terms with the Dominion of Canada.
After Manitoba was created as a province in 1870 the first session of the Manitoba legislature was held in four rooms of Bannatyne's Winnipeg house.
In 1871, he was appointed Winnipeg's first postmaster and also helped establish the freemasons in Manitoba.
He was appointed to the Temporary North-West Council
Temporary North-West Council
The Temporary North-West Council more formally known as the Council of the Northwest Territories and by its short name as the North-West Council lasted from the creation of Northwest Territories, Canada, in 1870 until it was dissolved in 1876...
in 1872. In the 1874 federal election, he was defeated in his bid for a federal parliamentary seat in Selkirk
Selkirk (electoral district)
Selkirk was a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1979.This riding was created in 1871 when the province of Manitoba was created....
being narrowly defeated by Hudson's Bay Company official Donald A. Smith
Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal
Sir Donald Alexander Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, GCMG, GCVO, PC, DL was a Scottish-born Canadian fur trader, financier, railroad baron and politician.-Early life:...
, but was elected in 1875 to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as the Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
MP for Provencher
Provencher (electoral district)
Provencher is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1871. It is largely a rural district, the largest community being the city of Steinbach, Manitoba.-Demographics:-History:...
filling a vacancy caused by the expulsion of Riel from the House of Commons and his banishment from Canada. He retired from politics in 1878.
Bannatyne helped organize the Winnipeg General Hospital
Winnipeg General Hospital
Winnipeg General Hospital was founded in 1872 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was built on the estate of Andrew McDermot. The driving force behind the hospital was McDermott's son-in-law Andrew Bannatyne....
and was involved in other business and philanthropic ventures in Wnnipeg. He was the first president of Winnipeg's Board of Trade
Board of Trade
The Board of Trade is a committee of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom, originating as a committee of inquiry in the 17th century and evolving gradually into a government department with a diverse range of functions...
and first president of the Manitoba Club
Manitoba Club
Established in 1874, the Manitoba Club is the oldest private club in western Canada. The Manitoba Club was originally established as a gentleman's club in 1874....
.
After become a very rich man, Bannatyne was virtually wiped out when the land boom crashed in 1882. His heavy indebtedness worsened his already poor health and he began to winter in the southern United States in order to ease his constitution.
He died in Minnesota in 1889 while returning from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Bannatyne Avenue and École Bannatyne in Winnipeg are named after him.