Francis Bond Head
| Sir Francis Bond Head | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 6th Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada | |
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In office 1836–1838 |
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| Monarch |
William IV Victoria |
| Preceded by | Sir John Colborne, 1st Baron Seaton, GCB, GCMG, GCH |
| Succeeded by | Sir George Arthur, 1st Baronet KCH PC |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 January 1793 Higham, Kent |
| Died | 20 July 1875 (aged 82) Croydon, Surrey, England |
| Spouse(s) | Julia Valenza Somerville |
| Profession | Commissioned Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers |
| Religion | Anglican |
| Signature |  |
Sir Francis Bond Head, 1st Baronet KCH PC (1 January 1793 – 20 July 1875), known as "Galloping Head", was Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada during the rebellion of 1837.
Bond Head was an officer in the corps of Royal Engineers of the British Army from 1811 to 1825; as such he earned a Waterloo Medal. Afterwards he attempted to set up a mining company in Argentina. He married Julia Valenza Somerville in 1816, and they eventually had four children. Bond Head was born to parents James Roper Mendes Head and Frances Anne Burgess. He was descended from Spanish Jew Fernando Mendes, who accompanied as her personal physician Catherine of Braganza in 1662 when she came to England to marry Charles II. His grandfather Moses Mendes married Anna Gabriella Head and took on the Head name following the death of his wife's father.
Bond Head was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada in 1835 in an attempt by the British government to appease the reformers in the colony, such as William Lyon Mackenzie, who wanted responsible government. He appointed reformer Robert Baldwin to the Executive Council, though this appointment was opposed by the more radical Mackenzie. In any case he ignored Baldwin's advice, and Baldwin resigned; the Legislative Assembly of the 12th Parliament of Upper Canada then refused to pass any money bills, so Bond Head dissolved the government. In the subsequent election campaign, he appealed to the United Empire Loyalists of the colony, proclaiming that the reformers were advocating American republicanism. The Conservative party, led by the wealthy landowners known as the "Family Compact", won the election to the 13th Parliament of Upper Canada.
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