The grave of Alexander Christie, Grange Cemetery

Alexander Christie (1792 – December 9, 1872) was a Scottish fur trader and

chief factor A factor is a type of trader who receives and sells goods on commission, called factorage. A factor is a mercantile fiduciary transacting business in his own name and not disclosing his principal. A factor differs from a commission merchant in ...

of the

Red River Colony The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assiniboia, Assinboia, 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 Hud ...

from 1833 to 1839 and from 1844 to 1848. Christie was instrumental in leading trading ceremonies on behalf of the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

(HBC) while he served in a role known as chief factor. When he retired, he received a half share in the company's profits for two years beyond the normal retirement period. It is reported that Christie was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

in 1792. Christie had experience working in the lumber trade at

Moose Factory Moose Factory is a community in the Cochrane District, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Moose Factory Island, near the mouth of the Moose River, which is at the southern end of James Bay. It was the first English-speaking settlement in lands no ...

before he joined the Hudson's Bay Company in 1809. Christie left for

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

briefly in 1810 but returned to Moose Factory in 1811 and established a sawmill. In 1817, now headquartered at Rupert's House, Christie was in charge of the

Eastmain Eastmain ( ; cr, ᐄᔅᒣᐃᓐ/Îsmein) is a Cree community located on east coast of James Bay at the mouth of the Eastmain River, Quebec, Canada. It is a small coastal Cree village with a population of 924 people in the 2021 Canadian Censu ...

region, rising to the position of chief factor in 1821. Christie headed Moose Factory from 1826 to 1830, when he relocated to York Factory. In 1833, Christie was appointed to the position of Governor of the Red River Colony and the Assiniboia District, a position held until 1839. During this term, Christie managed the construction of

Lower Fort Garry Lower Fort Garry was built in 1830 by the Hudson's Bay Company on the western bank of the Red River, north of the original Fort Garry (now in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). Treaty 1 was signed there. A devastating flood destroyed Fort Garry in ...

, which had begun prior to his appointment in 1831. Christie also initiated the establishment of

Upper 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' ...

during this time. Between 1839 and 1844, Christie was again on furlough in England and at Moose Factory. From 1844 to 1848, Christie was involved in attempting to enforce the HBC fur-trading monopoly. Christie was unsuccessful due to a lack of military force. Christie's marriage to Anne Thomas, daughter of Thomas Thomas, Sr., was confirmed by the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

on February 10, 1835. His sons, Alexander and William Joseph, and grandson, Alexander, entered the Hudson's Bay Company's service. His son-in-law, John Black, was a chief trader at Red River. He retired to Edinburgh and had a house at 51 Minto Street. He died in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1872. He is buried with his wife Ann Thomas in

Grange Cemetery The Grange (originally St Giles' Grange) is an affluent suburb of Edinburgh, just south of the city centre, with Morningside and Greenhill to the west, Newington to the east, The Meadows park and Marchmont to the north, and Blackford Hil ...

in south Edinburgh. The grave lies against the north wall.

References

External links

''Manitoba Historical Society - Alexander Christie (1792-1872)''

Biography at ''the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, Alexander 1792 births 1872 deaths Hudson's Bay Company people