McGill Library
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Amherst, Jeffrey, Baron, 1717-1797
Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, was born on January 29, 1717, in Sevenoaks, Kent, England.
He was a British Army officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Forces in the British Army. He joined the British army as an ensign in 1731. He participated in European campaigns, and in 1756, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1758, as a major general, he commanded the expedition to Louisbourg and afterwards was made the commander-in-chief of British forces in North America. In 1760, he led his troops in the capture of Montréal and held the post of Governor General of British North America from 1760 to 1763. He was named the Governor of Virginia in 1763 and the Governor of Guernsey in 1770. During the American Revolution, he advised the British government on military matters. In 1788, he was made a baron, and in 1796 a field Marshall.
He died on August 3, 1797, in Sevenoaks, Kent, England.