Home > Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford

He was a Member of the House of Commons in Britain, and entered the House of Lords in 1811. In 1835 he became Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada, and was instructed to appease the reformists, led by Louis-Joseph Papineau, without giving them any real power. Gosford attempted to distance himself from his predecessor, Lord AylmerMatthew Whitworth-Aylmer, 5th Baron Aylmer (1775-1850) was a British military officer colonial administrator. After reaching the position of colonel in the British army he was, in 1830, appointed commander of British military forces in North America as we, who had exacerbated the hostility of French-Canadians to the British administration. Gosford officially established the Diocese of MontrealThis is a list of the bishops of the Roman Catholic diocese of Montreal. This bishopric split off from the archdiocese of Quebec in 1821. The diocese was raised to an archdiocese in 1886. Its seat is Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral in downtown Montreal. in 1836Events January Book by Maria Monk claims that she was sexually exploited in a Canadian convent February 3 United States Whig Party holds its first convention in Albany, New York. February 23 The siege of the Alamo begins in San Antonio, Texas. February 24, though it had been unofficially created a few years before. In 1837Events January 10 DePauw University founded in Greencastle, Indiana January 26 Michigan is admitted as the 26th U. State February 8 Richard Johnson becomes the first Vice President of the United States chosen by the United States Senate February 11 Americ, when Papineau organized a rally against Prime Minister Lord Russell after Russell rejected Papineau's Ninety-Two ResolutionsThe Ninety-Two Resolutions were drafted by Louis-Joseph Papineau and other members of the Parti patriote of Lower Canada in 1834. The resolutions were a long series of demands for political reforms in the British-governed colony. Papineau had been elected, Lord Gosford prohibited public assemblies. In August of that year Gosford dissolved the Legislative Assembly when they refused to pass his budget.

In November, Lord Gosford learned of the planned Patriotes Rebellion and had many of Papineau's followers arrested, although Papineau himself escaped to the United States. The next month, he issued a reward for the capture of Papineau, and declared martial law in Lower Canada.

Lord Gosford resigned in November 1837 and returned to Britain the next year. His eventual successor, Lord Durham, who implemented the Union Act in 1840 (which Lord Gosford unsuccessfully argued against). He died in 1849.

See also: List of Canadian Governors General