Alexander Morris

author

Alexander Morris

1826–1889

A lawyer, politician, and author from Canada, he played a major role in the country’s early expansion westward. He is especially remembered for helping shape relations between the Canadian government and Indigenous peoples through the numbered treaties.

1 Audiobook

The Treaties of Canada with the Indians of Manitoba and the North-West Territories

The Treaties of Canada with the Indians of Manitoba and the North-West Territories

by Alexander Morris

About the author

Born in Perth, Upper Canada, in 1826, Alexander Morris built a career that crossed law, politics, and public service. He served in the Parliament of the Province of Canada and later in the federal cabinet of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald. From 1872 to 1877, he was the second Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba and also oversaw the North-West Territories during a crucial period in western Canadian history.

Morris is best known for his involvement in negotiating several of the numbered treaties between the Crown and First Nations. Those agreements had lasting consequences and remain an important part of Canadian history. He also wrote about politics, religion, and public life, including work connected to the treaties and the development of western Canada.

He died in 1889, but his name continues to appear in discussions of Confederation, treaty history, and the growth of Canada in the nineteenth century. For listeners interested in the people who shaped early Canadian institutions, his life offers a revealing window into the ambitions and conflicts of that era.