Zachary Taylor Wood
Encyclopedia
Zachary Taylor Wood, CMG
(1860–1915) was acting Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) and Commissioner of the Yukon
Territory of Canada
.
in 1860, where his father John Taylor Wood
was stationed. Wood's great-grandfather was President of the United States Zachary Taylor
.
Wood's family moved first to Halifax
and later to Ontario
. Taylor graduated from Royal Military College of Canada
at Kingston, Ontario
in 1882.
Zachary Taylor Wood served with the 90th Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Batoche
during the Northwest Rebellion in 1885. He joined the North West Mounted Police in 1885 as Inspector
under the command of Superintendent Sam Steele
. He retired from the force due to poor health and died in Asheville, North Carolina
in 1915 and buried at Cataraqui Cemetery
in Kingston, Ontario
.
Inspector Zachary Taylor Wood married Frances Augusta Daly in 1888 at St. Mary Magdalene Church, in Napanee, Ontario.
Their son Stuart Taylor Wood was born in Napanee and later served as Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
. He rose to the rank of Major in the RNWMP and served as Assistant and Acting Commissioner.
Stuart Taylor Wood was born in Napanee on October 17, 1889, son of Z.T. and Frances Wood. S.T. Wood was the Commissioner of the RCMP for thirteen years. He was a CMG (Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George).
was named in honour of Zachary Taylor Wood in 1998, in honour of the 125th Anniversary of the RCMP.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(1860–1915) was acting Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) and Commissioner of the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
Territory of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Early life
Born in Annapolis Naval AcademyUnited States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1860, where his father John Taylor Wood
John Taylor Wood
John Taylor Wood was an officer in the United States Navy who became a "leading Confederate naval hero" as a captain in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
was stationed. Wood's great-grandfather was President of the United States Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
.
Wood's family moved first to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
and later to Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Taylor graduated from Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
at Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
in 1882.
Career
Battle of Batoche
The Battle of Batoche was the decisive battle of the North-West Rebellion. Fought from 9 May to 12 May 1885 at the ad hoc Provisional Government of Saskatchewan capital of Batoche, the greater numbers and superior firepower of Middleton's force could not be successfully countered by the Métis ,...
during the Northwest Rebellion in 1885. He joined the North West Mounted Police in 1885 as Inspector
Inspector
Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
under the command of Superintendent Sam Steele
Sam Steele
Major General Sir Samuel Benfield Steele, CB, KCMG, MVO was a distinguished Canadian soldier and police official...
. He retired from the force due to poor health and died in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
in 1915 and buried at Cataraqui Cemetery
Cataraqui Cemetery
The Cataraqui Cemetery, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, is the city's largest with over 46,000 interments and growing. The Cemetery is most noted as being the burial site of Canada's first prime minister and a Father of Confederation, Sir John A. Macdonald...
in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
.
Family
His younger brother Lieutenant Charles Carroll Wood, graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada 1896 student # 352; served for Canada in the Boer War and died in 1899. He is memorialized on the Royal Military College Memorial Arch.Inspector Zachary Taylor Wood married Frances Augusta Daly in 1888 at St. Mary Magdalene Church, in Napanee, Ontario.
Their son Stuart Taylor Wood was born in Napanee and later served as Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
. He rose to the rank of Major in the RNWMP and served as Assistant and Acting Commissioner.
Stuart Taylor Wood was born in Napanee on October 17, 1889, son of Z.T. and Frances Wood. S.T. Wood was the Commissioner of the RCMP for thirteen years. He was a CMG (Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George).
Honour
Mount Wood in the YukonYukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
was named in honour of Zachary Taylor Wood in 1998, in honour of the 125th Anniversary of the RCMP.
Books
- 4237 Dr. Adrian Preston & Peter Dennis (Edited) "Swords and Covenants" Rowman And Littlefield, London. Croom Helm. 1976.
- H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "To Serve Canada: A History of the Royal Military College of Canada" 1997 Toronto, University of Toronto PressUniversity of Toronto PressUniversity of Toronto Press is Canada's leading scholarly publisher and one of the largest university presses in North America. Founded in 1901, UTP has published over 6,500 books, with well over 3,500 of these still in print....
, 1969. - H16511 Dr. Richard Arthur Preston "Canada's RMC - A History of Royal Military College" Second Edition 1982
- H16511 Dr. Richard Preston "R.M.C. and Kingston: The effect of imperial and military influences on a Canadian community" 1968 Kingston, OntarioKingston, OntarioKingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
. - H1877 R. Guy C. Smith (editor) "As You Were! Ex-Cadets Remember". In 2 Volumes. Volume I: 1876-1918. Volume II: 1919-1984. RMCRoyal Military College of CanadaThe Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
. Kingston, OntarioKingston, OntarioKingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
. The R.M.C. Club of Canada. 1984