McGill, James, 1744-1813

Identity area

Type of entity

Person

Authorized form of name

McGill, James, 1744-1813

Parallel form(s) of name

Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules

Other form(s) of name

Identifiers for corporate bodies

Description area

Dates of existence

1744-1813

History

James McGill was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1744. He entered Glasgow University in 1756, but did not receive a degree. He later immigrated to the American colonies and the first known North American reference to McGill dates from 1766. In about 1774, he arrived in Montréal and, in partnership with Isaac Todd, became involved in the commercial fur trade. For a time, he also maintained business partnerships with his brothers, Andrew and John. McGill was a member of the Beaver Club, a private social club based around participation in the fur trade. From 1792 to 1796, and from 1800 to 1804, he represented a Montréal constituency in the Lower Canada Legislature, and in 1793 he was appointed to the Executive Council. In 1776, McGill married Marie-Charlotte Guillimin, the widow of a former colleague, Amable Desrivières. James McGill enslaved at least six Black and Indigenous people: Sarah, Marie-Louise, Jacques, Marie-Charles, Marie, and a Chatiks si chatiks (Pawnee) child whose name is not recorded. In 1813, he bequeathed a large part of his estate to the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning in order to found and endow a college bearing his name. After delays and litigation by heirs, McGill College was inaugurated in 1829.

Places

Legal status

Functions, occupations and activities

Mandates/sources of authority

Internal structures/genealogy

General context

Relationships area

Related entity

Desrivières, François-Amable Trottier, 1764-1830. (1764-1830)

Identifier of related entity

Category of relationship

family

Dates of relationship

1776

Description of relationship

McGill married Charlotte Trottier Desrivières, née Guillimin, in 1776 making François Desrivières his step-son.

Related entity

McGill, Marie-Charlotte, 1747-1818 (1747-1818)

Identifier of related entity

Category of relationship

family

Type of relationship

McGill, Marie-Charlotte, 1747-1818

is the spouse of

McGill, James, 1744-1813

Dates of relationship

1776

Description of relationship

Related entity

Todd, Isaac, 1742-1819 (1742-1819)

Identifier of related entity

Category of relationship

associative

Type of relationship

Todd, Isaac, 1742-1819

is the business partner of

McGill, James, 1744-1813

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Related entity

Todd, McGill and Company. (1776-1797)

Identifier of related entity

Category of relationship

associative

Type of relationship

Todd, McGill and Company.

is the associate of

McGill, James, 1744-1813

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Related entity

Caldwell, James, -1815 (active 1792)

Identifier of related entity

Category of relationship

associative

Type of relationship

Caldwell, James, -1815

is the friend of

McGill, James, 1744-1813

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Related entity

Hadfield, Joseph, 1759-1851. (1759-1851)

Identifier of related entity

Category of relationship

associative

Type of relationship

Hadfield, Joseph, 1759-1851.

is the friend of

McGill, James, 1744-1813

Dates of relationship

Description of relationship

Access points area

Subject access points

Place access points

Occupations

Control area

Authority record identifier

n 2003038554

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Language(s)

Script(s)

Sources

Maintenance notes

  • Clipboard

  • Export

  • EAC

Related subjects

Related places