John Richardson (author)
Encyclopedia
John Richardson was a British Army
officer
and the first Canadian-born novelist to achieve international recognition.
He was born at Queenston, Ontario
on the Niagara River
in 1796. His mother Madelaine was the daughter of the fur trader John Askin
and an Ottawa
woman. His father Dr Robert Richardson was a surgeon with the Queen's Rangers
. As a young boy he lived for a time with his grandparents in Detroit and later with his parents at Fort Malden, Amherstburg
.
At the age of 16 he enlisted as a gentleman volunteer with the British 41st Foot. This is when he met Tecumseh and General Isaac Brock, whose personalities marked his imagination and whom he would later immortalize in his novel The Canadian Brothers and in other writings. During the War of 1812
, he was imprisoned for a year in the United States
after his capture during the battle of Moraviantown.
He was commissioned into the 8th Foot in 1813 and exchanged into the 2nd Foot in 1816 and the 92nd Foot in 1818. His later military service took him to England
and, for two years, to the West Indies. His biographers pointed out that, during his stay in the West Indies, he was appalled by the inhuman treatment to which slaves were subjected, and argued that his own racial background made him both uneasy in his relations with his fellow officers, and also may have contributed to the very compassionate treatment of the Native Others in his novels. Unlike the stereotypical Indians of Fenimore Cooper
's frontier tales, Richardson's Indians are portrayed in a more complex manner. His most savage characters, Wacousta, in the novel Wacousta
(1832) and Desborough, in The Canadian Brothers (1840), are in fact whites turned savage.
Richardson began his fiction-writing career with novels about the British and French
societies of his time. In his third and most successful novel, Wacousta, he turned to the North American frontier
for his setting and to its recent history for its historical framework. He followed the same practice in the sequel, The Canadian Brothers.
In 1838, Richardson returned home from England to Canada, now promoted to the rank of major
. He tried to earn his livelihood by writing fiction and by setting up a series of weekly newspapers. He was appointed superintendent of the police on the Welland Canal
in 1845, but was relieved of these duties the following year. In 1849 he moved to the United States and settled in New York City
, where he continued to write fiction. His attempts to build a literary career in the US failed and John Richardson died (supposedly of starvation) in New York City in 1852. He was buried in the paupers' cemetery in New York and his grave is still unknown.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
and the first Canadian-born novelist to achieve international recognition.
He was born at Queenston, Ontario
Queenston, Ontario
Queenston is located 5 km north of Niagara Falls, Ontario in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The community is bordered by Highway 405 and the Niagara River; its location on the Niagara Escarpment led to the establishment of the now-defunct Queenston Quarry in the area...
on the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
in 1796. His mother Madelaine was the daughter of the fur trader John Askin
John Askin
John Askin was a fur trader, merchant and official in Upper Canada.He was born in Aughnacloy in Ireland in 1739; his ancestors are believed to have originally lived in Scotland with the surname Erskine. He came to North America with the British Army in 1758. After the British took over New France,...
and an Ottawa
Ottawa (tribe)
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
woman. His father Dr Robert Richardson was a surgeon with the Queen's Rangers
Queen's Rangers
The Queen's Rangers was a military unit who fought on the Loyalist side during the American War of Independence. After the war they moved to Nova Scotia and disbanded, but were reformed again in Upper Canada before disbanding again, in 1802, a decade prior to the War of 1812.-French and Indian...
. As a young boy he lived for a time with his grandparents in Detroit and later with his parents at Fort Malden, Amherstburg
Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg is a Canadian town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario. It is approximately south of the U.S...
.
At the age of 16 he enlisted as a gentleman volunteer with the British 41st Foot. This is when he met Tecumseh and General Isaac Brock, whose personalities marked his imagination and whom he would later immortalize in his novel The Canadian Brothers and in other writings. During the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, he was imprisoned for a year in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after his capture during the battle of Moraviantown.
He was commissioned into the 8th Foot in 1813 and exchanged into the 2nd Foot in 1816 and the 92nd Foot in 1818. His later military service took him to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and, for two years, to the West Indies. His biographers pointed out that, during his stay in the West Indies, he was appalled by the inhuman treatment to which slaves were subjected, and argued that his own racial background made him both uneasy in his relations with his fellow officers, and also may have contributed to the very compassionate treatment of the Native Others in his novels. Unlike the stereotypical Indians of Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo...
's frontier tales, Richardson's Indians are portrayed in a more complex manner. His most savage characters, Wacousta, in the novel Wacousta
Wacousta
Wacousta is a novel by John Richardson. Published in 1832, it is sometimes claimed as the first Canadian novel,, although in fact it is preceded by Julia Catherine Beckwith's St Ursula's Convent; or, The Nun of Canada...
(1832) and Desborough, in The Canadian Brothers (1840), are in fact whites turned savage.
Richardson began his fiction-writing career with novels about the British and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
societies of his time. In his third and most successful novel, Wacousta, he turned to the North American frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
for his setting and to its recent history for its historical framework. He followed the same practice in the sequel, The Canadian Brothers.
In 1838, Richardson returned home from England to Canada, now promoted to the rank of major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. He tried to earn his livelihood by writing fiction and by setting up a series of weekly newspapers. He was appointed superintendent of the police on the Welland Canal
Welland Canal
The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Canada that extends from Port Weller, Ontario, on Lake Ontario, to Port Colborne, Ontario, on Lake Erie. As a part of the St...
in 1845, but was relieved of these duties the following year. In 1849 he moved to the United States and settled in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he continued to write fiction. His attempts to build a literary career in the US failed and John Richardson died (supposedly of starvation) in New York City in 1852. He was buried in the paupers' cemetery in New York and his grave is still unknown.