John Abraham (politician)

John Abraham (fl. 1672 – 1689) was a governor of the now abandoned Hudson's Bay Company settlement at Port Nelson (or Fort Nelson) on Hudson Bay, located in the northern part of the modern province of Manitoba.

Biography

Immediately after joining the HBC in 1672, Abraham was sent to Hudson Bay, where he served under Governor

In 1685, the HBC committee decided to replace Abraham with Governor Thomas Phipps because he had abandoned Port Nelson in 1684 before receiving word from England. He acted as Phipps deputy until 1688, when he was recalled. The HBC decided to do this for two reasons: they considered his opposition to the French in the winter of 1684-85 had been unjustified considering his stronger position and certain reports he had made lead them to believe that he was planning to mount an interloping expedition. These fears did not prove unfounded when, in 1688, Abraham, along with John Outlaw, sailed The Mary to Hudson Bay intent on infringing upon the HBC's charter. However, the expedition did not go as planned when The Mary was wrecked by ice in the Hudson Strait. Before the ship sank, her crew and supplies were rescued by John Marsh, who had been tasked by the HBC settle in Albany River. Despite the English and French crowns enjoying a rare peace, Marsh's colony clashed with the local French and Abraham was given up as a hostage. At some point during his captivity, Abraham switched his allegiance and proceeded to prey upon English ships on the St. Lawrence River for the remainder of his life.

External links

• Biography of John Abraham at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online