Peter Hunter
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-General Peter Hunter (11 July 1746, – 21 August 1805) was a British Army
officer and colonial administrator. He was eldest son to John Hunter laird of Knapp and Euphemia Jack of Longforgan
, Perthshire
, Scotland
.
In 1767 he entered the British Army by purchasing an Ensign
's commission in the 1st Foot. He rose to Lieutenant
in 1770 and served in Minorca
from 1771 to 1775 being promoted to Captain on the regiment's return to England. He became a Major
in the 92nd Foot in 1779 and went to the West Indies where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, transferring to the 60th Foot in 1781.
His unit was posted to Nova Scotia
in 1786 and he assumed command of the battalion in 1787.
In 1789 Hunter after leave in England, he was appointed temporary superintendent of British Honduras
holding that position until 1791 and was said to have administered the new colony in an authoritarian manner. He returned to England in 1793 and was given the rank of Colonel
serving in Europe and then the Caribbean
before becoming a military governor in County Wexford
, Ireland
following the Irish Rebellion of 1798
.
On April 10, 1799 Hunter was appointed Lieutenant Governor
of Upper Canada
, succeeding John Graves Simcoe
. He was also made commander of military forces in both Upper and Lower Canada
with the rank of Lieutenant-General as of 1802. He became Colonel
of the 9th Foot in 1804.
Hunter died unexpectedly in 1805 in Quebec
. Alexander Grant became administrator of Upper Canada and continued Hunter's policies until a new Lieutenant Governor, Francis Gore
, arrived from Britain in August 1806.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer and colonial administrator. He was eldest son to John Hunter laird of Knapp and Euphemia Jack of Longforgan
Longforgan
Longforgan is a village and parish in the Carse of Gowrie, in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies west of Dundee on the main A90 road.-History:...
, Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, 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...
.
In 1767 he entered the British Army by purchasing an Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
's commission in the 1st Foot. He rose to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in 1770 and served in Minorca
Minorca
Min Orca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. It takes its name from being smaller than the nearby island of Majorca....
from 1771 to 1775 being promoted to Captain on the regiment's return to England. He became a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the 92nd Foot in 1779 and went to the West Indies where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, transferring to the 60th Foot in 1781.
His unit was posted to Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
in 1786 and he assumed command of the battalion in 1787.
In 1789 Hunter after leave in England, he was appointed temporary superintendent of British Honduras
British Honduras
British Honduras was a British colony that is now the independent nation of Belize.First colonised by Spaniards in the 17th century, the territory on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, became a British crown colony from 1862 until 1964, when it became self-governing. Belize became...
holding that position until 1791 and was said to have administered the new colony in an authoritarian manner. He returned to England in 1793 and was given the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
serving in Europe and then the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
before becoming a military governor in County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
following the Irish Rebellion of 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
.
On April 10, 1799 Hunter was appointed Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, succeeding John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
. He was also made commander of military forces in both Upper and 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...
with the rank of Lieutenant-General as of 1802. He became Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the 9th Foot in 1804.
Hunter died unexpectedly in 1805 in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Alexander Grant became administrator of Upper Canada and continued Hunter's policies until a new Lieutenant Governor, Francis Gore
Francis Gore
Francis Gore, was a British officer and British colonial administrator.Gore was commissioned into the 44th Foot in 1787, but transferred to the 54th Foot in 1794 and the 17th Light Dragoons in 1795. He retired with the rank of major and then became Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada from 1806 to...
, arrived from Britain in August 1806.