Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford

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Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford GCB (Markethill, County Armagh August 1, 1776 – March 27, 1849 Markethill) was a British politician who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada and Governor General of British North America in the 19th century.

He was a Member of the British House of Commons representing Armagh from 1800 to 1807. Acheson entered the Irish House of Lords in 1807 upon succeeding to his father's titles as Earl of Gosford and then the British House of Lords in 1811 upon being elected a representative peer. In 1835 he became Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada, and was instructed to appease the reformists, led by Louis-Joseph Papineau, without giving them any real power. Gosford attempted to distance himself from his predecessor, Lord Aylmer, who had exacerbated the hostility of French-Canadians to the British administration. Gosford officially established the Diocese of Montreal in 1836, though it had been unofficially created a few years before. In August of that year Gosford dissolved the Legislative Assembly when they refused to pass his budget.

In November, Lord Gosford learned of the planned Lower Canada Rebellion and had many of Papineau's followers arrested, although Papineau himself escaped to the United States. The next month, he issued a reward for the capture of Papineau, and declared martial law in Lower Canada.

Lord Gosford resigned in November 1837 and returned to Britain the next year. His eventual successor, Lord Durham, implemented the Union Act in 1840 (which Lord Gosford unsuccessfully argued against). He died in 1849.

[edit] See also

• List of Canadian Governors General

[edit] External link

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• This page incorporates information from Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page.

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Constituency created	Member for Armagh with Robert Camden Cope 1800–1802 Henry Caulfeild 1802–1807 1800–1807	Succeeded by Henry Caulfeild William Brownlow
Political offices
Preceded by The Lord Longueville	Representative peer for Ireland 1811–1849	Succeeded by The Lord Kilmaine
Preceded by The Marquess of Clanricarde	Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard 1834	Succeeded by The Viscount Hereford
Preceded by The Viscount Hereford	Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard 1835	Succeeded by The Earl of Ilchester
Preceded by The Lord Aylmer	Governor General of British North America 1835–1837	Succeeded by Sir John Colborne (acting)
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by Arthur Acheson	Earl of Gosford 1807–1849	Succeeded by Archibald Acheson
Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by New Creation	Baron Worlingham 1835–1849	Succeeded by Archibald Acheson