Sir William Carson (baptised 4 June 1770 – 26 February 1843), often called "The Great Reformer", was a medical doctor and businessman in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. Carson's primary contribution to Newfoundland was the application of modern agricultural principles. Upon immigrating to Newfoundland in 1806 from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, Carson set to work clearing a large patch of land near St. John's. He also began calling for increased economic support from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, a more organized

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

in the area and better treatment of the local natives. Between 1820 and 1832, he helped lead the movement in Newfoundland's struggle for representative government, which culminated in Carson's election to office in 1832. While in office, he was noted for helping quarantine an outbreak of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

in the area. From 1838 to 1841, Carson was Speaker of the Newfoundland House of Assembly.

Legacy

The

CN Marine CN Marine was a Canadian ferry company headquartered in Moncton, New Brunswick. History CN Marine was created by parent Canadian National Railway (CN) in 1977 as a means to group the company's ferry operations in eastern Canada into a separate ...

ferry M/V ''

William Carson Sir William Carson (baptised 4 June 1770 – 26 February 1843), often called "The Great Reformer", was a medical doctor and businessman in Newfoundland. Carson's primary contribution to Newfoundland was the application of modern agricultural ...

'' was named in his honour.

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
1770 births 1843 deaths Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Newfoundland People from Dumfries and Galloway Speakers of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Newfoundland Colony people {{Newfoundland-politician-stub