Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford GCB (1 August 1776 – 27 March 1849, Markethill), styled The Honourable Archibald Acheson from 1790 to 1806 and Lord Acheson from 1806 to 1807, was a British politician who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada and Governor General of British North America in the 19th century.
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Born at Markethill, County Armagh, Gosford was the son of Arthur Acheson, 1st Earl of Gosford, and his wife Millicent (née Pole).
Acheson sat in the Irish House of Commons for Armagh County from 1798 until the Act of Union in 1801. Subsequently he was a Member of the British House of Commons representing Armagh to 1807, when he succeeded to his father's Irish titles as Earl of Gosford. He entered the British House of Lords in 1811 upon being elected a representative peer.
In 1835 he became Governor General of British North America (also Lieutenant-Governor of Lower Canada), and commissioner in the Royal Commission for the Investigation of all Grievances Affecting His Majesty's Subjects of Lower Canada. He 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.
The City of Gosford (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gosford,_New_South_Wales) in New South Wales, Australia was Lord Gosford.
| Parliament of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Richardson William Brownlow |
Member of Parliament for Armagh County 1798 – 1801 With: Viscount Caulfeild 1798-1799 Robert Camden Cope 1799–1801 |
Succeeded by Parliament of the United Kingdom |
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Armagh 1801 – 1807 With: Robert Camden Cope 1801–1802 Henry Caulfeild 1802–1807 |
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 Earl of Courtown |
| Preceded by The Earl of Courtown |
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) |
| Honorary titles | ||
| New title | Lord Lieutenant of Armagh 1831 – 1849 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Charlemont |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by Arthur Acheson |
Earl of Gosford 1807 – 1849 |
Succeeded by Archibald Acheson |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Worlingham 1835 – 1849 |
Succeeded by Archibald Acheson |
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