George Simpson (administrator)

George Simpson (administrator)

Sir George Simpson (1786 or 1787 or 1792 – 7 September 1860) was the Canadian governor of the Hudson's Bay Company during the period of its greatest power. During this period (1820-1860) he was in practice, if not in law, the British viceroy for the whole of Western Canada. His efficient administration of the west was a precondition for the confederation of western and eastern Canada. He was noted for his grasp of administrative detail and his physical stamina in travelling through the wilderness. During his administration the HBC often returned a 10 percent profit. Excepting voyageurs and their Siberian equivalents few men have spent as much time traveling in the wilderness. He was also the first person to have "circumnavigated" the world by land.