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John Graves Simcoe, Governor of Upper Canada, circa 1795

Simcoe was a British career officer who brilliantly led the Loyalist unit The Queen's Rangers (1st American Regiment) during the American Revolutionary War. In 1791, Simcoe was appoint Lieutenant Governor of the new province of Upper Canada (now Ontario). He organized the provincial militia following the English county militia system, which proved to be very efficient. This portrait shows Simcoe in the uniform of a staff officer, and is based on a miniature given by the Simcoe family to noted Canadian antiquarian Henry Scadding. (Library and Archives Canada, C-008111)