John Edward Harriott was a fur trader who worked for 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...

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A Londoner who entered the trade at age 17, Harriott was a dedicated and prosperous worker. He climbed through the ranks of the Hudson's Bay Company to become a chief factor for the Saskatchewan District

District of Saskatchewan

The District of Saskatchewan was a regional administrative district of Canada's Northwest Territories. Much of the area was incorporated into the province of Saskatchewan. The western part became part of Alberta, and the eastern part is now part of Manitoba. Its capital was Prince Albert...

. He retired in 1855 after a career of nearly four decades.

While a fur trader, Harriott entered into two marriages, both with daughters of HBC fur-traders by Native American or Métis wives.