Lawrence William Herchmer (25 April 1840 – 17 February 1915) was a

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and

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police commander and army officer, who was also employed as a farmer, brewer and civil servant. He served as the fifth Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police, from April 1, 1886 to July 31, 1900. Born in

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, Herchmer served with the

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and, during 1872–4, as supply officer of the British Boundary Commission, then as

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in 1876. He was named RCMP Commissioner in 1886. Although a former military officer, he had not served in the

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

, and was a civilian at the time he was named as Commissioner of the force.The news media described William J. S. Elliott, appointed in 2007, but who had not served in the armed forces or the police, as the first civilian RCMP commissione
CBC News
Herchmer was "a capable administrator", but being hot-tempered and overbearing, he gained a "reputation as a tyrant" during his tenure as commissioner. Nevertheless, the force under his command gained better benefits, living conditions, organization, and training, and more respect, with a marked improvement in ''esprit du corps''. His personality earned him a number of political enemies, leading to charges of mismanagement that produced a

judicial inquiry A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal commission in that ...

in 1892 (which cleared him) and culminated in his dismissal in 1900, while he was serving with the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

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. Herchmer considered his firing unjust, and continued to say so until his death. Herchmer introduced the wide-brimmed hats (later adopted as official uniform), and the famous musical ride display of horsemanship. His family had connections with

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

, first prime minister of Canada, who appointed him. He had the political backing to make many important changes to the administration and organization of the force. He died in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

at 74.

References

External links

RCMP Museum
1840 births 1915 deaths Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioners Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Vancouver) British emigrants to Canada {{law-enforcement-bio-stub