Sir John Henry Pelly BtDL
17thGovernor of the Hudson's Bay Company
In office 1822–1852
Governor of the Bank of England
In office 1841–1842
Preceded by	Sir John Rae Reid
Succeeded by	William Cotton
Personal details
Born	John Henry Pelly (1777-03-31)31 March 1777 England
Died	13 August 1852(1852-08-13) (aged 75) West Ham,Essex, England
Citizenship	British
Spouse	Emma (nee Boulton)
Children	10
Known for	Governor, Hudson's Bay Company; Governor of the Bank of England

Sir John Henry Pelly, 1st Baronet,DL (31 March 1777 – 13 August 1852) was anEnglish businessman. During most of his career, he was an employee of theHudson's Bay Company (HBC), serving asGovernor of the HBC for three decades. He held other noteworthy offices, includingGovernor of the Bank of England.^[1] The title ofBaronet Pelly was created for him.

Pelly was born on 31 March 1777. His father was Captain Henry Hinde Pelly (1744–1818), Esq., of Upton who worked for theEast India Company, as did his father. Sally-Hitchen Blake (died 1824) was his mother.

Pelly was a fourth generation sailor, and possibly served in theRoyal Navy at a young age.^[2]

Pelly became an Elder Brother ofTrinity House in 1823, and Deputy Master some years later. He was a Commissioner of theLord Lieutenant of the City of London,^[3] and of the Loan Office of Public Works and Fisheries. He served as magistrate and was appointed aDeputy Lieutenant ofEssex on 16 October 1810.^[4] In 1835 he was elected aFellow of the Royal Society.^[5]

From 1841–1842, he was Governor of theBank of England.^[1] He was appointed a vice-president of theMarine Society in 1847.^[6] Pelly was also a businessman. He owned timber plantations inNorway.^[7] With Charles Boulton, and his father-in-law, Henry Boulton, Pelly was a partner in the company, Norway Merchants.^[8][9]

With Jukes Coulson and Paul Malin, Pelly was a partner in theironmonger and iron merchants company, Jukes Coulson & Co.^[10][11]

Pelly was a Director of the HBC before becoming its 17th Governor, serving in that capacity for three decades, from 1822 through 1852. Pelly was responsible for organizing several exploration parties, including some forPeter Warren Dease andThomas Simpson which assisted in the discovery of theNorthwest Passage. He was responsible for the 1849 colonization ofVancouver Island.^[12]

Pelly developed a business relationship with SirGeorge Simpson, Governor-in-Chief ofRupert's Land, and an HBC employee. They were partners in the London firm, Pelly, Simpson & Co., and the Norwegian firm, Pelly & Co.^[13]

He married Emma Boulton (1786–1856) ofLeatherhead,Surrey in 1807. She was the daughter of Henry Boulton ofThorncroft, governor of the Corporation of Working Mines and Metals inScotland. They had ten children.^[7] His eight sons were: Sir John Henry (who succeeded as baronet), Raymond,Charles, Albert, Richard-Wilson, Edmund, Octavius, and Percy-Leonard. His two daughters were Juliana-Sally and Emma-Eugenia.^{[citation needed]}

SirLewis Pelly,ConservativeMember of Parliament and anEast India Company officer, was his nephew.^[14]

Upon the recommendation ofLord Melbourne, he was createdBaronet Pelly, of Upton in the county of Essex in theBaronetage of the United Kingdom on 6 July 1840.^[12][15]

He had residences at Warnham Court nearHorsham,Sussex, and Upton House,West Ham,Essex.^[16] Pelly died at his home, Upton House, in 1852.^{[citation needed]}

Several landforms were named in his honour. In theNorthwest Territories, these includedPelly Island and Pelly Lake. InNunavut, there isMount Pelly,Pelly Bay, and Pelly Point. In Saskatchewan, the HBC post,Fort Pelly bears his name, as well as the unincorporated town ofPelly. In theYukon, Pelly Banks,Pelly Crossing,Pelly Formation, Pelly Lakes,Pelly Mountains, and thePelly River bear his name.^[1]

• Photo, Upton HouseArchived 24 July 2011 at theWayback Machine

• 1777 births
• 1852 deaths
• People from West Ham
• Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom
• Governors of the Hudson's Bay Company
• Deputy lieutenants of Essex
• Governors of the Bank of England
• Deputy governors of the Bank of England
• Fellows of the Royal Society
• Members of Trinity House
• Pelly family

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