THE LITTLE EMPEROR: GOVERNOR SIMPSON OF THE HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY. by Galbraith, John S - 1976

Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1976. 232 pp, 9 1/4" H. B&w illustrations, map. "For forty years the 'Little Emperor', Sir George Simpson, ruled a domain that stretched from Hudson Bay to the Pacific and the Arctic, wielding power a feudal king might have envied. An illegitimate child, raised by his father's family in Scotland, Simpson caught the eye of Andrew Colvile of the Hudson's Bay Company. Simpson was first sent to North America in 1820, that last year of uneasy rivalry before the North West and Hudson's Bay companies united. (He) rose rapidly in the Company's service; in an era of primitive communication he was given a great deal of latitude by his employers, and he quickly demonstrated that they could rely on his judgement. Ruthless and domineering in both public and private life, he made many enemies, but his undoubted business talents won wide admiration in Canada and in England. In his later years Simpson was increasingly involved in the business life of Canada, and by the time of his death in 1860, he was one of the leading financial figures in the colony." . First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Near Fine.