User:Generalissima/George Hunter Cary
George Hunter Cary | |
|---|---|
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| Attorney General of British Columbia | |
| In office 1859–1861 | |
| Governor | James Douglas |
| Attorney General of Vancouver Island | |
| In office 1859–1864 | |
| Governor | James Douglas |
| Member of the Vancouver Island Legislative Assembly for Victoria Town | |
| In office 1860–1863 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 16, 1832 Woodford, Essex, United Kingdom |
| Died | July 16, 1866 (aged 34) London, United Kingdom |
| Spouse | Ellen Martin |
| Alma mater | King's College |
George Hunter Cary (January 16, 1832 - July 16, 1866) was an English barrister and colonial official. Born in Essex, he studied law in London, and was recommended for a colonial posting by a family friend. Arriving in British Columbia in 1859, he served as its first Attorney General until 1861, as well as Attorney General of Vancouver Island and later as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island for the constituency of Victoria Town. Cary was noted for his advocacy and implementation of the Torrens land title system in British Columbia. He suffered bouts of insanity after leaving office, and became financially destitute after the construction of his ornate mansion, Cary Castle, and failed investments in the Cariboo Gold Rush. He returned to London in 1865, dying of a suspected cerebral hemorrhage soon after.
Early life[edit]
George Hunter Cary was born in Woodford, an Essex suburb of London, on January 16, 1832. He was the son of surgeon William Henry Cary and Elizabeth Malins, the sister of barrister and MP Sir Richard Malins. Cary attended St Paul's School in London before studying law at King’s College. On June 13, 1854, he was called to bar at the Inner Temple, but transferred to Lincoln's Inn where he had a successful career in the equity courts.[1] He married Ellen Martin on November 6, 1858.[2]
Hugh McCalmont Cairns, a former student of Richard Malins, recommended Cary to colonial secretary Edward Bulwer-Lytton, following calls for British lawmen to be sent to administrate the newly-founded Colony of British Columbia in the wake of the 1858 gold rush. Cary was appointed Attorney General of British Columbia, and arrived in Victoria on May 16, 1859.[2]
Political career[edit]
While the Colony of British Columbia was administered from New Westminster on the Lower Mainland, Cary stayed on Vancouver Island during his service as Attorney General. Neither colony had yet built legislative offices or courthouses. Governor James Douglas shortly after appointed Cary as acting Attorney General of Vancouver Island, albeit at no additional salary.[1][2]
Torrens system[edit]
Later life and death[edit]
Cary bought large amounts of land across the colony. By 1861, he had acquired about 162 hectares (400 acres) of property spread across North Saanich, Victoria, Sidney Island, and Thetis Cove in what is now View Royal. He leased an additional 10 hectares (25 acres) adjacent to the eastern city limits of Victoria, [1][2]
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b c Hendrickson, James E. (1976). "CARY, George Hunter". Dictionary of Canadian biography. Vol. 9 (1861 to 1870). University of Toronto Press. pp. 114–115.
- ^ a b c d Taylor, Robert Ratcliffe (October 31, 2018). "A Person of Some Consequence: Attorney-general George Hunter Cary (1832-1866)". Ormsby Review.
More sources
- Hanna, Christopher J. "Bailiff Macaulay." British Columbia History 26, no. 1 (1992): 16.
- TAYLOR, GREG. Law of the Land: The Advent of the Torrens System in Canada. University of Toronto Press, 2008. https://doi.org/10.3138/9781442688469.
- Farr, David ML. "The Organization of the Judicial System in the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia, 1849-1871." U. Brit. Colum. L. Rev. 3 (1967): 1.