Lisgar, << LIHS gahr, >> Baron (1807-1876), a British administrator, served as governor general of Canada from 1869 to 1872. He played an important advisory role in stopping the uprising known as the Red River Rebellion (1869-1870). While he was governor general, Manitoba and British Columbia became Canadian provinces. Plans were begun in 1871 to build a railway across the entire country. The Treaty of Washington, signed in 1871, ended quarrels between the United States and the United Kingdom about fishing rights in Canadian waters.
Lisgar was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. His given and family name was John Young. He was elected to the British Parliament in 1831. Lisgar became chief secretary for Ireland in 1852, lord high commissioner of the Ionian Islands in 1855, and governor general of New South Wales in 1861. He was knighted in 1855 and became the first Baron Lisgar in 1870.
