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George
Simpson
(c.1787-1860):
Getting Down to Business
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George Simpson
was born in Scotland. The unemployment rate was very high there
so, at the age of 14, he went to England in search of work. When he was 30, his
relatives found him a job with HBC offices in London. In
1820 he became the chief officer of a trading post. In 1820 he was
sent to North America to take charge should the company's governor
be arrested by the North West Company.
Simpson was
made governor of the northern department in 1821 after the merger
with the North West Company.
He was described as cold hearted, but fair. He was good at making
peace between the fur traders who had once been enemies. He was
a strict businessman who did not want any waste.
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Simpson
was a very formal person. When visiting fur posts, he wore a
long black coat and a top hat. When he entered the post, he
had a bagpiper playing music!
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He wanted the
business to be run differently after the wild, disorganized days
of the fur trade wars. As a result, he made surprise visits to trading
posts to check on the employees. He got rid of unnecessary trading
posts and fired extra fur traders.
Simpson
realized the importance of finding new fur supplies. He also understood
the value of conservation. When the fur supply was getting low
in an area, he advised the traders to stop trapping the animals
until the population increased again.
Efficiency was
important to running a profitable
business. Simpson decided to change the method of travel used by
the traders from canoe to York boats. This was because the York
boats could carry more supplies.
The
fur trading area was divided into districts. Each district had its
own supervisor. Simpson was put in charge of all the supervisors
and became the governor in chief in 1826. He died in 1860.
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What
do you think Simpson's most important accomplishment was?
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