Alexander Begg (19 July 1839 – 6 September 1897) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

journalist and businessman. His books covered historical events in Canada. He was born in

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and ended up heading west because of business he was conducting for an import-export firm's

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office. He arrived at the

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on of land in British North America. This land was granted to Douglas by the Hudson's Bay ...

(Manitoba) in 1867 as an agent for various firms. The following year he formed a successful partnership as general merchants and outfitters with

Andrew Bannatyne Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne (October 31, 1829 – May 18, 1889) was a Canadian politician, fur trader and leading citizen of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Biography Bannatyne was born on the island of South Ronaldsay, Orkney, in Scotland and was ...

. This partnership lasted until late in 1871. During this period and beyond, Begg was prominent in the community fighting for a representative government in Manitoba. At first, he was supportive of both the

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

and

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

and criticized the expansionist ideas of many of his fellow Canadians. In the summer of 1874 he became editor of the ''Daily Nor’Wester''. As the

Red River Rebellion The Red River Rebellion (), also known as the Red River Resistance, Red River uprising, or First Riel Rebellion, was the sequence of events that led up to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by Métis leader Louis Riel and his f ...

wore on, however, he began to advocate a negotiated annexation of the region by Canada, provided local rights were preserved. He was in business in Winnipeg until 1877 and published and edited a variety of materials. In 1877, he became

Queen's Printer The King's Printer (known as the Queen's Printer during the reign of a female monarch) is typically a bureau of the national, state, or provincial government responsible for producing official documents issued by the King-in-Council, Ministers ...

of Manitoba. He also was

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to the Legislature and then Deputy Treasurer and Auditor at different times. In his book about the Red River Troubles in 1869 he laid out the almost state-free social-political system before the rebellion started: :"The Courts of Justice savored more of arbitration than of a mere attention to the technicalities of law; and it generally happened that there were more cases decided outside the court-room than inside it. People at that period had learned to live on terms of friendship and kindliness towards each other; and, consequently, it was not a difficult matter to heal a breach between any two individuals. The Government at that time depended greatly on the quiet, peaceful, and contented character of the people for a strict observance of law and order, and did not deem it necessary to enforce severe measures." Begg left

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

in 1884 for London, England and in 1888 moved to Seattle to re-enter journalism. In 1892 he moved to

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as editor of the ''Victoria Daily News''. He worked at his journalism in B.C. until his death. Begg should not be confused with another journalist of the same name active in Victoria at the time. His written legacy includes much material from Manitoba and the North-West covering the period he had lived in Winnipeg and later years. In 1956, the

Champlain Society The Champlain Society seeks to advance knowledge of Canadian history through the publication of scholarly books (both digital and print) of primary records of voyages, travels, correspondence, diaries and governmental documents and memoranda. Th ...

reprinted Begg's journal, as well as several other documents relating to the

, edited by Canadian historian W. L. Morton.

Publications

*''The creation of Manitoba; or, a history of the Red River troubles'' (Toronto, 1871
Internet Archive
*''Dot it down; a story of life in the north-west'' (Toronto, 1871) *''Practical hand-book and guide to Manitoba and the northwest'' (Toronto, 1877) *''The great Canadian north west: its past history, present condition, and glorious prospects'' (Montreal, 1881) *''Seventeen years in the Canadian northwest'' (London, 1884) *''Wrecks in the sea of life, a novel'' (New York,

884 __NOTOC__ Year 884 ( DCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * March 1 – Diego Rodríguez Porcelos, count of Castile, founds and repopulates (''repoblación'') Burgos a ...

*''Canada and its national highway'' (London, 1886) *''Emigration'' (London, 1886) *''The great north-west of Canada'' (London,

886 __NOTOC__ Year 886 (Roman numerals, DCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * March – A wide-ranging conspiracy against Emperor Basil I, led by John Kourkouas (9t ...

*''History of the north-west'' (3v., Toronto, 1894–95) *''Ten years in Winnipeg: A narration of the principal events in the history of the city of Winnipeg from the year A.D. 1870 to the year A.D. 1879, inclusive'' (with Walter R. Nursey) (Winnipeg, 1879) *''Alexander Begg's Red River Journal and Other Papers Relative to the Red River Resistance of 1869-1870.'' Edited by William Morton. (Toronto:

Publications, 1956)

References

*D. R. Owram,
Alexander Begg
in ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'', 2000 {{DEFAULTSORT:Begg, Alexander 1839 births 1897 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Canadian newspaper journalists Pre-Confederation Manitoba people People of the Red River Rebellion Journalists from Quebec 19th-century Canadian journalists Canadian male journalists 19th-century Canadian male writers Canadian people of Scottish descent