Robert William Weir Carrall (February 2, 1837 – September 19, 1879) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) 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 ...

physician and politician Born in Carrall's Grove, near

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

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 th ...

, the son of James and Jane Carrall, Carrall received his MD from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...

in 1859. He practiced in Canada for a bit before becoming an assistant surgeon for the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

working in

Emory and Henry College Hospital Emory & Henry College Hospital was a Confederate hospital during the American Civil War. The First Battle of Saltville took place near the hospital. Establishment of the hospital The Confederate command selected the hills of southwest Virginia f ...

(1862 to 1863) and at the Marine United States General Hospital at New Orleans (1863 to 1865). In 1865, he moved to Nanaimo,

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, ...

, where he worked as a doctor. In 1867, he moved to

Barkerville Barkerville was the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia, Canada, and is preserved as a historic town. It is located on the north slope of the Cariboo Plateau near the Cariboo Mountains east of Quesnel. BC Highway 26, which ...

where he also invested in mines. A supporter of confederation, he was elected to the Legislative Council of British Columbia in 1868 and served until 1871. From 1870 to 1871, he was a member of the Executive Council. He was one of three delegates who went to Ottawa to talk about the terms of British Columbia joining Canada. In 1871, he was summoned to the Senate of Canada. In 1879, he introduced a bill to make July 1 a

public holiday A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year. Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...

to be called Dominion Day (now called Canada Day), which was later passed. He served until his death. Carrall Street in

Vancouver, British Columbia Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The ...

is named in his honour.

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* 1837 births 1879 deaths Canadian military doctors Canadian senators from British Columbia Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) senators McGill University Faculty of Medicine alumni People from Oxford County, Ontario Physicians from British Columbia Union Army surgeons {{BritishColumbia-politician-stub

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