John Forsyth (December 8, 1762 – December 27, 1837) was a partner in the influential commercial house of Forsyth,
Richardson
Richardson may refer to:
People
* Richardson (surname), an English and Scottish surname
* Richardson Gang, a London crime gang in the 1960s
* Richardson Dilworth, Mayor of Philadelphia (1956-1962)
Places Australia
* Richardson, Australian Cap ...
& Co. He was a politician, co-founder and vice-president of the
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company.
The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...
, and Colonel of the
Royal Montreal Cavalry. He founded the
Montreal Hunt
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
in 1826 and was a member of the
Beaver Club
The Beaver Club was a gentleman's dining club founded in 1785 by the predominantly English-speaking men who had gained control of the fur trade of Montreal. According to the club's rules, the object of their meeting was "to bring together, at sta ...
. He is the ancestor of the Forsyth-Grants of
Ecclesgreig
St Cyrus or Saint Cyrus ( sco, Saunt Ceerus), formerly Ecclesgreig (from gd, Eaglais Chiric) is a village in the far south of Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
General information
Traditional salmon fishing with nets is still conducted from St Cyrus bea ...
Castle.
Early years
![Coat of Arms of John Forsyth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Coat_of_Arms_of_John_Forsyth.svg)
Born at
Huntly
Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlemen ...
,
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland.
It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...
, he was the fifth son of William Forsyth (b.1721) 4th
Laird
Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...
of Tailzerton, and his wife Jean, daughter of George Phynn, Lord of the Corse of Monelly. He was a first cousin of the politician
Edward Ellice through the influential Phynn family.
Forsyth came to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
just before the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
, but as a
loyalist
Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...
he removed to
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
. He joined his brother, Thomas, at
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
. They worked in the Montreal offices of their uncle's merchant's firm ''Phynn, Ellice & Co., of
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
''. When Ellice died in 1790, the Forsyth brothers and their first cousin
John Richardson became partners of what was from then known as ''Forsyth, Richardson & Co., of Montreal''. Much of their business was centred on the
fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...
and they became partners in the
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 is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...
for a period. John Forsyth focused on the smooth day-to-day running of the company, leaving his forceful cousin to drive it forward.
Bank of Montreal
Forsyth played a supporting role in Richardson's abortive effort to establish the
Canada Banking Company
Canada Banking Company was an early and short-lived bank established in 1792 in Montreal (then Lower Canada).
The bank was established by three firms led by nine Montreal merchants (notably John Forsyth, John Richardson, James McGill and Isa ...
in 1792. He was among the founders, with Richardson, of the
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company.
The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...
in 1817, and their firm, as well as Forsyth and Richardson individually, subscribed the maximum 20 shares each. Forsyth served as a director of the bank from 1817 to 1820 and as vice-president in 1825–26.
Militia, church and politics
Forsyth was commissioned an ensign in the Montreal Battalion of British Militia in 1797, and he reached the rank of lieutenant-colonel of the Royal Montreal Cavalry by 1828. He served as a captain with the Montreal Incorporated Volunteers during the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
and was granted land for his services. He was made a
justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
in 1821 and was a life governor of the
Montreal General Hospital
The Montreal General Hospital (MGH) (french: Hôpital Général de Montréal) is a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada established in the years 1818-1820. The hospital received its charter in 1823. It is currently part of the McGill University ...
. Diligent in support of Richardson during the founding of the Montreal Committee of Trade in 1822, he was elected its first chairman but declined the honour and was replaced by Thomas Blackwood. He was largely inactive in the affairs of his church, the Scotch Presbyterian Church, later known as St Gabriel Street Church. In 1827, Forsyth was appointed to the
Legislative Council of Lower Canada
The Legislative Council of Lower Canada was the upper house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The upper house consisted of appointed councillors who voted on bills passed up by the Legislative Assembly ...
on
Lord Dalhousie
James Andrew Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie (22 April 1812 – 19 December 1860), also known as Lord Dalhousie, styled Lord Ramsay until 1838 and known as The Earl of Dalhousie between 1838 and 1849, was a Scottish statesman and co ...
’s recommendation. However, unlike many prominent businessmen, and most notably his partner, Forsyth was not offered, or did not he accept any great number of government appointments.
Personal life
From the 1790s at least, Forsyth was part of the social circuit on which the upper echelon of the
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
business community prided itself.
Jacob Mountain
Jacob Mountain (1 December 1749 – 16 June 1825) was an English priest who was appointed the first Anglican Bishop of Quebec. He served also on both the Legislative Council of Lower Canada and the Legislative Council of Upper Canada.
Biography
T ...
dined in a large company at Forsyth’s home in 1794: "The house itself is elegant, and the dinner splendid... People here are fond of good living and take care to want no luxury". Forsyth's political and social views and activities were representative of those of the most prominent business figures in Montreal. In the 1790s he had welcomed into his home refugees from the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
. Forsyth founded the Montreal Hunt in 1826 and was a member of the
Beaver Club
The Beaver Club was a gentleman's dining club founded in 1785 by the predominantly English-speaking men who had gained control of the fur trade of Montreal. According to the club's rules, the object of their meeting was "to bring together, at sta ...
at Montreal.
Family and final years
In 1798, at
St Andrew's Church, Quebec, Forsyth married Margaret Grant (1777-1818), daughter of Charles Grant (d.1784), a prominent Quebec merchant from an influential
Scots-Quebecer
Scots-Quebecers () are Quebecers who are of Scottish descent.
Background
Few Scots came to Quebec (then New France) before the Seven Years' War. Those who did blended in with the French population. Perhaps the first Scot to settle was Abra ...
family trading between
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. Charles was the third son of the Laird of Kincorth and a grandson of Grant of Glenbeg, whose portrait hung at
Castle Grant
Castle Grant stands a mile north of Grantown-on-Spey and was the former seat of the Clan Grant chiefs of Strathspey in Highlands, Scotland.Coventry, Martin. (2008). ''Castles of the Clans: The Strongholds and Seats of 750 Scottish Families and Cl ...
.
Grants of Quebec
/ref> Mrs Forsyth's mother, Jane Holmes (1750-1805), afterwards married The Hon. John Blackwood. The Forsyths were the parents of two sons and a daughter, all of whom married within Forsyth's business circle:
*William Forsyth-Grant (1804-1863) J.P., D.L., succeeded his uncle, Frederick Grant, to Ecclesgreig
St Cyrus or Saint Cyrus ( sco, Saunt Ceerus), formerly Ecclesgreig (from gd, Eaglais Chiric) is a village in the far south of Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
General information
Traditional salmon fishing with nets is still conducted from St Cyrus bea ...
Castle, taking the additional name of 'Grant'. He married his first cousin, Euretta Forsyth, daughter of Joseph Forsyth, of Kingston, Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...
; sister of James Bell Forsyth. Their eldest son was Aide-de-camp to Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
. Their third son married a daughter of The Hon. John Beverley Robinson
John Beverley Robinson (February 21, 1821 – June 19, 1896) was a Canadian politician, lawyer and businessman. He was mayor of Toronto and a provincial and federal member of parliament. He was the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario between ...
.
*John Blackwood Forsyth (1805-1891), married a daughter of Samuel Gerrard
Samuel Gerrard (1767 – March 24, 1857) was a Canadian fur trader, businessman, militia officer, justice of the peace, politician, and seigneur. He was the second president of the Bank of Montreal. From 1838 to 1841, he was a member of the ...
.
*Jane Prescott Forsyth (1807-1869), married Captain George Gregory of the 19th Light Dragoons. He was the son of John Gregory, of Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, a former colleague of Jane's father in the 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 is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...
and a fellow member of the Beaver Club
The Beaver Club was a gentleman's dining club founded in 1785 by the predominantly English-speaking men who had gained control of the fur trade of Montreal. According to the club's rules, the object of their meeting was "to bring together, at sta ...
.
A nephew, James Bell Forsyth, represented Forsyth, Richardson at Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
, in association with William Walker from 1821. Richardson died in May 1831, and for a time Forsyth carried on. In August he informed his first cousin Edward Ellice that he was "on the best of terms" with Governor Lord Aylmer and "an intimate and old friend" of Aylmer's civil secretary, John Baskerville Glegg, and he offered to use these advantages to promote the development of Ellice's seigneury of Villechauve, more commonly known as Beauharnois, the management of which Forsyth, Richardson had long supervised. Forsyth spent his last years in Britain, where he died in 1837. Forsyth, Richardson & Co., survived until 1847 when it and Forsyth, Walker and Company were dissolved.
References
External links
John Forsyth in the Canadian Dictionary of National Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forsyth, John
1762 births
1837 deaths
People from Huntly
Businesspeople from Montreal
United Empire Loyalists
Members of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada
Scottish emigrants to Canada