John Tannatt Ussher, usually known as Johnny Ussher, was a settler, provincial magistrate and Gold Commissioner in the

Thompson Country Thompson Country, also referred to as The Thompson and sometimes as the Thompson Valley and historically known as the Couteau Country or Couteau District, is a historic geographic region of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, more or less de ...

of the

Southern Interior of British Columbia Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

, Canada in the 1870s. John Tannatt Ussher was the son of Samuel Ussher ''Esq.'', a lawyer in Montreal, and Harriet Rebecca Colclough. He was born October 17, 1830. On June 2, 1876 Ussher was named as a tax collector under the School Tax Act. On June 22, 1876, the Lieutenant-Governor in Council announced the appointment of John Ussher, Esq. to be Returning Officer for the District of Yale. The Provincial Secretary's office announced on January 27, 1877 that Johnny was appointed as Government Agent at Kamloops, and registrar for births, deaths and marriages, and land agents. Johnny Ussher married Annie Clara McIntosh, the youngest sister of his business partner James McIntosh, on October 21, 1878. In 1879 the renegade sons of former

Fort Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the South flowing North Thompson River and the West flowing Thompson River, east of Kamloops Lake. It is located in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, w ...

Chief Trader Donald McLean, led by his eldest son

Allan Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) ...

and accompanied by their friend Alex Hare, went on a drunken rampage across the Nicola and Thompson Countries. The "Wild McLeans" went on a binge of horse-thievery and stealing flour, liquor, ammunition and clothing. Ussher, whose duties as Gold Commissioner included the roles of constable and jailer as well as magistrate and who had previously demurred on arresting the McLeans, as attempts to hold them in the flimsy jail in Kamloops would prove futile, rode out with John McLeod, with Amni Shumway as guide, and rancher William Palmer, whose prize stallion the McLeans had stolen. Ussher and his party surprised the McLeans at Long Lake (near Quilchena, on

Nicola Lake Nicola Lake is a glacially formed narrow, deep lake located in the South-Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada approximately thirty kilometres northeast of the city of Merritt. It was a centrepoint of the first settlements in the grasslan ...

) on 8 December 1879, and was killed in the ensuing gun battle, which also wounded McLeod and Allan McLean. Fleeing the consequences of Ussher's killing, the McLeans sought refuge with the

Nicola people The Nicola people are a First Nations political and cultural alliance in the Nicola Country region of the Southern Interior of the Canadian province of British Columbia. They are mostly located in the Nicola River valley around the area of Merrit ...

and made a speech to their chief Chilliheetza, son of the famous

Chief Nicola Nicola ( – ) (Spokan language, Spokan: ''Hwistesmetxe'qen'', ''Walking Grizzly Bear''), also Nkwala or N'kwala, was an important First Nations in British Columbia, First Nations political figure in the North American fur trade, fur trade era of th ...

, trying to enlist their support in a revived version of the abortive uprising planned by the Interior First Nations peoples in 1874. Chilliheetza refused, knowing that the boys' motivation was not political but caused by drink, and chastised them for their shameful behaviour. On December 13 the McLeans and Hare surrendered and were brought to the BC Penitentiary in

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...

to await trial. They were, after a second trial had to be held because of technicalities, hanged for the murder of Johnny Ussher and sheepherder James Kelly on January 31, 1881. Ussher Lake is named for him.

References

Archives - History Articlesrecord for John Tannatt Ussher - Drouin Collection
*''The Wild McLeans'', Mel Rothenburger, Orca Book Publishers] *''Who was Johnny Ussher?'', Andrea Lister
British Columbia History , Vol 48.4 (Winter 2015)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ussher, Johnny 1830 births, Ussher, John Tannatt Ussher, John Tannatt Ussher, John Tannatt Ussher, John Tannatt Ussher, John Tannatt Ussher, John Tannatt Ussher, John Tannatt Ussher, John Tannatt Ussher, John Tannatt Ussher, John Tannatt

See also

References