Robert Nelson (August 8, 1794 – March 1, 1873) was an Anglo-Quebecer physician and a leading figure in the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (french: rébellion du Bas-Canada), commonly referred to as the Patriots' War () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now south ...

in 19th century

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 thirte ...

(

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec ...

). Nelson was born in Sorel (near Montreal) to William Nelson, an immigrant to

Colonial America The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...

from Newsham, North Yorkshire. His mother, Jane Dies, was a teacher and daughter of an important land owner in the

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 * '' ...

area. He studied medicine in Montreal and later at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

, in the state of

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. 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 be ...

, he was surgeon for the Deschambault Corps and the Indian Braves Corps. In 1827, Robert Nelson entered politics at the invitation of his brother,

Wolfred Nelson Wolfred Nelson (10 July 1791 – 17 June 1863) was the mayor of Montreal, Quebec, from 1854 to 1856. Biography Nelson was born in Montreal. His father, William Nelson, was an immigrant to Colonial America from Newsham, North Yorkshire, En ...

, also a doctor and member of the

Parti Patriote The Parti canadien () or Parti patriote () was a primarily francophone political party in what is now Quebec founded by members of the liberal elite of Lower Canada at the beginning of the 19th century. Its members were made up of liberal prof ...

. On November 24, 1837, Nelson was arrested with other politicians. He was freed soon after, not being involved with the rebels, unlike his brother, Wolfred, who participated in the Battle of Saint-Denis. His arrest, however, led him to join with the rebels who fled to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The leaders of the Patriotes voted for the quick establishment of a

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

and the launch of an attack from the United States. Some important Patriotes voted against this idea, including

Louis-Joseph Papineau Louis-Joseph Papineau (October 7, 1786 – September 23, 1871), born in Montreal, Quebec, was a politician, lawyer, and the landlord of the ''seigneurie de la Petite-Nation''. He was the leader of the reformist Patriote movement before the Low ...

. Robert Nelson was made General of the army and elected future President of the

Republic of Lower Canada The Republic of Lower Canada was a break-away state proclaimed in the aftermath of the 1837 Rebellions. The defeat of the rebellion meant that the state could never be properly established. History Origins A British colony since 1760, Canada ...

. On February 28, 1838, Nelson encamped at Alburg, Vermont with some 300 men. He proclaimed the independence of the

and distributed copies of a

declaration of independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

. Soon after, they were arrested by the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

for violation of the law of neutrality of the United States. A jury, sympathetic to the Patriotes cause, acquitted him and others. After this failed attempt, Robert Nelson and other insurrectionists decided to take the time to organize a new strike. A clandestine paramilitary association, known as the

Frères chasseurs The Frères chasseurs (French for "Hunter Brothers") were a paramilitary organization that fought in the Patriote Rebellion on the Patriote side, seeking to make Lower Canada, now Quebec, an independent and democratic republic. After the failure ...

, was set up to overthrow the British colonial governments of Lower and Upper Canada and establish sovereign and democratic republics in their place. A second invasion started on November 3, 1838. Things didn't go as planned and the invasion forces were forced to retreat. Nelson and others were eventually granted amnesty by the British colonial government and allowed to return home. Robert Nelson died in 1873 at the age of 78 in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull and ...

. He was interred in the

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery (french: Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges) is a rural cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada which was founded in 1854. The entrance and the grounds run a ...

in Montreal.

References

Sources

*
"The Frères Chasseurs" ''Canada: A People's History''

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...

, accessed 2008-02-29 * Georges Aubin (1998). ''Robert Nelson. Déclaration d'indépendance et autres écrits'', Montréal: Comeau & Nadeau, 90 pages (in French) * Mélissa Blais and Benoit Marsan
''Nelson, Robert''
in
''Les Patriotes de 1837@1838''
May 20, 2000 (in French) * Mary Soderstrom. ''The Words on the Wall: Robert Nelson & the Rebellion of 1837'', Ottawa: Oberon Press, 1998, 348 pages (an historical novel) * François Labonté: ''Robert Nelson dit "le Diable". Face-à-face entre les Britanniques et les forces rebelles réfugiées aux États-Unis (1838 - 1839).'' Presses de l'

Université Laval Université Laval is a public research university in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The university was founded by royal charter issued by Queen Victoria in 1852, with roots in the founding of the Séminaire de Québec in 1663 by François de Montm ...

, 2017 (en français) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Robert Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada Quebec revolutionaries 1794 births 1873 deaths People from Sorel-Tracy Harvard Medical School alumni Lower Canada Rebellion people Canadian republicans People from Staten Island Quebec sovereigntists Canadian people of American descent Anglophone Quebec people Heads of state of states with limited recognition Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery