Sir Edmund Head: A Scholarly Governor

A century ago, in 1854, Sir Edmund Head became governor general of Canada. His earlier career as Oxford don, chief Poor Law commissioner during the "hungry forties," and lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick, had prepared him to succeed Lord Elgin in this senior post in the British colonial service. Combining the outlook and training of a scholar with a long administrative experience in difficult posts, Head had a clear insight into British North American problems, and was able to guide Brit...