William "Tiger" Dunlop
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The Right Honourable William Tiger Dunlop |
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| Member of Parliament for United Province of Canada. Canada West. Huron. |
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In office 1841–1846 |
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| Monarch | Victoria of the United Kingdom |
| Preceded by | Robert Dunlop |
| Majority | Undetermined. James McGill Strachan wins; Dunlop appeals and wins. |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Dunlop November 17, 1792 Greenock, Scotland |
| Died | June 29, 1848 (aged 55) Lachine, Canada or Côte-Saint-Paul (Montreal) |
| Resting place | Hamilton, later Goderich, Upper Canada |
| Citizenship | British |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Tory (moderate) |
| Parents | Alexander Dunlop and Janet Graham |
| Education | University of Glasgow |
| Occupation | Military physician, author, woodsman, soldier, politician |
Dr. William Dunlop (19 November 1792 – 29 June 1848) also known as Tiger Dunlop was an army officer, surgeon, Canada Company official, author, justice of the peace, militia officer, politician, and office holder. He is notable for his contributions to the War of 1812 in Canada and his work in the Canada Company, helping to develop and populate a large part of Southern Ontario (the Huron Tract). He was later elected as a Member of Parliament for the 1st Parliament of the Province of Canada, Canada West, Huron.
Tiger Dunlop was born 19 November 1792 in Greenock, Scotland, the third son of a local banker Alexander Dunlop and Janet Graham. He pursued his medical studies at the University of Glasgow and in London.
In January 1813 Dunlop joined the army as a hospital mate, a month later was posted as an assistant surgeon in the 89th Regiment of Foot. He was first posted to the Isle of Wight, later leaving for Quebec in August 1813. He subsequently moved to Upper Canada to work with John Galt and the Canada Company, settling in Goderich, Ontario. His Canadian experiences can be read in "Recollections of the American War of 1812–1814".
Dunlop was known under a variety of nicknames, but the one that has lasted and remains with him to this day is "Tiger". In Upper Canada, he was also known as The Doctor, Peter Poundtext, or Ursa Major and often as The Backwoodsman.
The nickname "Tiger" is supposed to have been given to him during his time in India. Some sources describe it as Dunlop participating in a sport; others describe it as a business trip. The combination of two seems to be more inline with Dunlop’s character. The business trip included a cull of the Saugor Island tigers.
During his time and certainly after William Tiger Dunlop became a legend. It was common for people to seek him out just for the pleasure of having been said to have met Tiger Dunlop. The stories that surrounded him became the stuff of legend; some verifiable, some not.
Dunlop and a fellow army friend had been ordered to join their regiment on the Niagara frontier two hundred and eighty miles from their present location in Kingston. Although the road from Kingston to Niagara had many post houses, they were not well supplied and junior officers came in low in the pecking order. It became common for Dunlop and friend to find worn out nags available as their transportation. Being in a hurry, the two men decided to speed up the process and gave themselves instant promotions. Dunlop became a major-general and the friend became his aide. The “aide” demanded good horses for his general who had apparently been sent by the Duke of Wellington to instruct Sir Gordon Drummond on how to conduct the campaign. With no shortage of the theatrical in their nature, the imposters pulled off the hoax and rode good horses. Dunlop was twenty-two at the time.
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Wikipedia