Benjamin Joseph Frobisher
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Joseph Frobisher (March 26, 1782 – March 18, 1821) was a fur trade
r and political figure in Lower Canada
.
He was born in Montreal
, the son of Joseph Frobisher
, and studied in England
. In 1799, he joined the North West Company
and travelled west, becoming clerk in the English River department. He later worked as a clerk for a merchant in the fur trade
at Quebec City
. In 1804, he married Isabella, the niece of Sir William Grant and stepdaughter of John Craigie
. Frobisher represented Montreal County in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
from 1804 to 1808. He was named a justice of the peace
for Trois-Rivières district in 1805. He served in the local militia, later becoming lieutenant-colonel. In 1815, he was named provincial aide-de-camp for colonial administrator Sir Gordon Drummond
and, in 1816, for Governor Sir John Coape Sherbrooke
.
In 1817, he led an attack by the North West Company against a Hudson's Bay Company
fort at Île-à-la-Crosse
, located in what is now Saskatchewan
. In 1819, he was taken prisoner by the HBC and detained at York Factory
. He later escaped and returned to Quebec.
He died at Quebec City in 1821.
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...
r and political figure in Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
.
He was born in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, the son of Joseph Frobisher
Joseph Frobisher
Joseph Frobisher was a fur trader and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Halifax, England in 1740 and came to Quebec with his brother Benjamin around 1763; their brother Thomas joined them around 1769...
, and studied in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In 1799, he joined the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
and travelled west, becoming clerk in the English River department. He later worked as a clerk for a merchant in 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...
at Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. In 1804, he married Isabella, the niece of Sir William Grant and stepdaughter of John Craigie
John Craigie
John Craigie was a businessman and political figure in Lower Canada.He was born in Scotland, probably in 1757, and came to Quebec in 1781 as deputy commissary general for the British Army there. Craigie was named commissary general in 1784. The following year, he became private secretary to...
. Frobisher represented Montreal County in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791...
from 1804 to 1808. He was named a justice of the peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Trois-Rivières district in 1805. He served in the local militia, later becoming lieutenant-colonel. In 1815, he was named provincial aide-de-camp for colonial administrator Sir Gordon Drummond
Gordon Drummond
Sir Gordon Drummond, GCB was the first Canadian-born officer to command the military and the civil government of Canada...
and, in 1816, for Governor Sir John Coape Sherbrooke
John Coape Sherbrooke
Sir John Coape Sherbrooke was a British soldier and colonial administrator. After serving in the British army in Nova Scotia, the Netherlands, India, the Mediterranean , and Spain, he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia in 1811.His active defense of the colony during the War of 1812...
.
In 1817, he led an attack by the North West Company against a 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...
fort at Île-à-la-Crosse
Île-à-la-Crosse
Île-à-la-Crosse is the second oldest community in Saskatchewan, Canada, being established in 1846 as a Roman Catholic mission by Alexandre-Antonin Taché, but as a fur trading post in 1779 by the Hudson's Bay Company. It has a rich history being connected to the Churchill River, Beaver River and...
, located in what is now Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. In 1819, he was taken prisoner by the HBC and detained at York Factory
York Factory, Manitoba
York Factory was a settlement and factory located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. The settlement was headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Northern Department, from 1821 to...
. He later escaped and returned to Quebec.
He died at Quebec City in 1821.