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James ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ 1744-1813

James ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1744 and studied at Glasgow University.

Sometime before 1766, he immigrated to North America and began trading in the Upper Great Lake region – the pays d’en haut. By 1775, ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ had established himself in Montreal and continued trading in furs and ammunition. As a successful merchant, ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ also engaged in the trade and importation of goods produced on enslaved-labour plantations in the West Indies.

In 1776 ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ married a francophone widow, Marie-Charlotte Trottier Desrivières (née Guillimin), and became stepfather to her sons. ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ was a volunteer Colonel with the Montreal militia and served as a city magistrate for many years, making him part of a council that was the de facto government of Montreal. He was also a member of a committee that reported on the need for a Legislative Assembly for the colony of Lower Canada, to which he would be elected three times.

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At various times, the ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ household owned at least five enslaved Black and Indigenous people: Jack or Jacques, a Black man (c1760-1838); Sarah, a Black woman (c1763- 1809); Marie-Louise, a Black woman who had joined the household as a girl (c1765-1789);Ìýan Indigenous boy whose name is unknown (c1768-1778); Marie Potamiane, an Indigenous girl (c1773-1783).

Following his death in 1813, ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ’s will revealed a bequest to the Royal Institute for the Advancement of Learning (RIAL) intended to found a college that should bear his name. The RIAL became the governing body for ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ College, which was officially established in 1821.

³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ recognizes that the wealth leading to its establishment was derived, in part, from James ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ’s engagement in the colonial economic system and the transatlantic slave trade. The University acknowledges the deep, long-lasting adverse impacts that these practices have exerted on Black and Indigenous communities.

In the 200 years since its establishment, ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ has evolved to become a world-class institution of higher education marked by pluralism and diversity. It is proud to welcome exceptional students, faculty, and staff of all identities, beliefs, and origins who today call ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ their intellectual home.