Hector Theophilus de Cramahé (1 October 1720 – 9 June 1788), born Théophile Hector Chateigner de Cramahé, was

Lieutenant-Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a " second-in-com ...

of the

Province of Quebec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

, and titular Lieutenant Governor of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. He was born in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, the son of a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

, Captain Hector François Chataigner de Cramahé, Seigneur de Cramahé et des Rochers. His father served as aide de camp to the leader of William III's Huguenot regiments,

Henri de Massue, 1st Earl of Galway Henri de Massue, 2nd Marquis de Ruvigny, Earl of Galway, (9 April 16483 September 1720) was a French Huguenot soldier and diplomat who was influential in the English service in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession. Biogra ...

. He began his military career in 1740 and in January 1741, was appointed an ensign in the 15th Regiment of Foot and with the rank of lieutenant in April. On 12 March 1754 he became captain and in 1758 went with his regiment to America where it took part in the Siege of Louisbourg. During the absence of General Guy Carleton, on 6 June 1771, he was made lieutenant governor of the

. His administration ending with the return of Carleton on 18 September 1774. He organised the defence of the city during the

Battle of Quebec (1775) The Battle of Quebec () was fought on December 31, 1775, between American Continental Army forces and the British defenders of Quebec City early in the American Revolutionary War. The battle was the first major defeat of the war for the America ...

. In 1778, he participated in the enslavement of Bell, a girl who had escaped twice.Figure 1 and Figure 2
"Fugitive Slave Advertisements as Sites of Violence and Resistance: A Analysis of the Escapes of Bell and Bellow," Chrysalis, vol. 1, no. 8 (Fall 2020), pgs. 152-3 an
"Transcription: Bill of Sale for Isabella/Bell (1778)"
Bills of Sale for Enslaved People: Quebec, Canada (2020), pgs. 8-10. Accessed 1 August 2021 He held the title of lieutenant governor until April 1782 through much of the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. In 1786 he was appointed lieutenant governor of

. He died at his residence near Exeter in Devon, England. He left his name to Cramahe Township in southern Ontario.

References

* 1720 births 1788 deaths East Yorkshire Regiment officers Military personnel from Dublin (city) Lieutenant governors of the Province of Quebec (1763–1791) {{quebec-hist-stub