James Henry Craig
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General Sir James Henry Craig KB (Gibraltar 1748 – 12 January 1812 London) was a British military officer and colonial administrator.
In 1795, the Netherlands fell under the revolutionary government of Napoleon's France, and Stadtholder Prince William V of Orange became a refugee in England. A British force under General Sir James Craig set out to Cape Town to secure the colony against the French. The Battle of Muizenberg successfully wrested control from William V of Orange to Britain.
In 1805, he was appointed to lead another expedition, this time to Italy, but the mission was aborted after the Austrian defeat at the Battle of Ulm.
Craig concurrently held the positions of Governor-General of the Canadas and lieutenant-governor of Lower Canada from 1807 to 1811. Craig considered measures such as creating English counties and replacing the legislative assembly with an appointed government as a means of increasing the power of English speakers in predominantly French Lower Canada. He also tried to encourage immigration from Britain and the United States in hopes of making the French a minority.
See also: List of Governors General of Canada and List of Lieutenant Governors of Quebec
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Alured Clarke |
Commander-in-Chief, India 1801 |
Succeeded by Gerald Lake |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by Thomas Dunn |
Governor General of British North America 1807–1811 |
Succeeded by Sir George Prevost |
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