McVicar, Robert

Robert McVicar [MacVicar, McVicker] was born circa 1799, probably at Bowmore, Isle of Islay in Scotland. Between 1812 and 1814, he served with the Hudson's Bay Company as a clerk at York Factory, later spending fourteen years in the Saskatchewan and Athabasca region.

Between 1819 and 1823, he spent his first winter command at Fort Resolution on Great Slave Lake, later becoming a chief trader following the amalgamation of the fur-trading companies in 1821. He assisted the British Naval Exploring Expedition [first Arctic Land expedition], 1819-1822 (leader John Franklin) and the British Naval Exploring Expedition [second Arctic Land expedition], 1825-1827 (leader John Franklin), by purchasing and collecting supplies.

In 1827, McVicar transferred to the Montreal Department, retiring from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1830 and settling as a farmer in the Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes region. Forced to seek employment due to dwindling resources, McVicar was appointed inspector of clergy reserves for the Western District, later serving as land agent and postmaster in the Lake Superior region, a post he held until 1863. He died in 1864 at Thunder Bay in Canada.

From the guide to the Robert McVicar collection, 1815-1844, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)