Samuel Gerrard

The Honourable
Samuel Gerrard
The Honourable Samuel Gerrard
2nd President of the Bank of Montreal
	In office; 1820–1826
Preceded by	John Gray
Succeeded by	Horatio Gates
Member of the Special Council of Lower Canada
	In office; 1838–1841
Personal details
Born	1767; Gibbstown House, County Meath
Died	March 24, 1857 (aged 89–90); Montreal, Canada East
Spouse	Ann Grant m. 1782, d. 1854
Children	Three sons including Samuel Henry (d. 1858), Richard, two daughters including Mary

Samuel Gerrard (1767 – March 24, 1857) was a Canadian fur trader, businessman, militia officer, justice of the peace, politician, and seigneur. He was the second president of the Bank of Montreal. From 1838 to 1841, he was a member of the Special Council of Lower Canada. In 1841, he acquired the seigneuries of Lanaudière and Carufel.^[1]

Gerrard was born in Ireland at Gibbstown House, County Meath. The Gerrards were a prosperous Anglo-Irish family who had held Gibbstown, an estate of some 1,270 acres, since the mid 17th century, and previous to that were seated at nearby Clongill Castle.^[2]^[3]^[4] Samuel was probably a grandson of the Samuel Gerrard of Gibbstown who was a friend of Jonathan Swift and visited London and Bath in 1740.^[5] Samuel was probably a younger brother of the John Gerrard (d.1838) who was High Sheriff of Meath in 1818. By 1785, at the age of eighteen, Samuel Gerrard was established at Montreal as a merchant concerned with the fur trade from Timiskaming. In 1791, he went into partnership with his future brother-in-law, William Grant, and Étienne-Charles Campion. Gerrard acted as the firm's accountant, receiving a quarter of the profits.^[6]

Legacy

Gerrard Street in Toronto is named in his honour.

External links

"Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
"Samuel Gerrard". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.

References

^ Peter Deslauriers, “GERRARD, SAMUEL,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed February 5, 2024, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gerrard_samuel_8E.html.
^ North Leinster: The Counties of Longford, Louth, Meath and Westmeath
^ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland
^ Galway Landed Estates Database
^ The Alexander Pope Encyclopedia
^ "Samuel Gerrard". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.

Business positions
Preceded by John Gray	President of the Bank of Montreal 1820-1826	Succeeded by Horatio Gates

[1] Peter Deslauriers, “GERRARD, SAMUEL,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 8, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed February 5, 2024, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/gerrard_samuel_8E.html.

[2] North Leinster: The Counties of Longford, Louth, Meath and Westmeath

[3] Topographical Dictionary of Ireland

[4] Galway Landed Estates Database

[5] The Alexander Pope Encyclopedia

[6] "Samuel Gerrard". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.

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