Peter Russell (June 11, 1733 to September 30, 1808) administered Upper Canada from July 20, 1796, after Lieutenant Governor Simcoe left, until 1799. He kept the government at York, where the first parliament met in June 1797, and he died there in 1808. He also held enslaved people in his York household, a fact that belongs in any account of him.
Life in brief
| Born | June 11, 1733, Cork, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Died | September 30, 1808, York (Toronto), Upper Canada |
| Role | Army officer; receiver general of Upper Canada; administrator of the province (1796 to 1799); judge and speaker of the Legislative Council |
| Toronto connection | Governed from York after 1796 and lived on an estate there, Russell Abbey |
| Main source | Dictionary of Canadian Biography |
Early life and debt
Russell was the only son of Richard Russell and his first wife, Elizabeth Warnar. He spent six months at St John’s College, Cambridge, in 1751 and arrived in South Carolina on May 21, 1755. He became a lieutenant on May 8, 1758, and was commissioned on January 12, 1760, in the 94th Foot, which was reduced on October 24, 1763. He reached New York in August 1763 with more than 1,000 pounds in debt. After returning to England on October 14, 1771, he was released from Fleet prison on October 7, 1774, under the Insolvent Debtors Relief Act. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the 64th Foot on August 15, 1775, and sailed for America on February 25, 1778. His appointment as judge of the Vice-Admiralty Court of South Carolina in 1780 was disallowed. He became superintendent of the port of Charleston on January 1, 1782, and sailed for England on May 13, 1782.
Joining Simcoe in Upper Canada
Simcoe recommended him for the post of receiver and auditor general on August 12, 1791, and his commission was issued on December 31, 1791. He arrived at Quebec on June 2, 1792. In 1794 he became a temporary puisne judge at 500 pounds a year, and on July 6, 1795, he became speaker of the Legislative Council. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography records that he was appointed administrator on July 20, 1796, and that Simcoe left York the following day. The man he succeeded is the subject of the article on John Graves Simcoe.
The administration, 1796 to 1799
Russell kept Simcoe’s decision to move the capital to York and met the first parliament there in June 1797. He worked on the New Town, public buildings, and road links, including the Danforth Road toward Kingston. He took over responsibility for Indian affairs from Quebec on December 15, 1796.
His land policy was stricter than Simcoe’s. In 1797 he tightened the granting rules and rescinded all township grants, compensating only actual settlement. William Berczy lost Markham Township as a result. An act of June 1797 created the Heir and Devisee Commission to settle land titles. In the same year he issued deeds to purchasers of Six Nations land, after the Executive Council recommended it on June 29 and before contrary instructions arrived from London on July 15. In autumn 1798, about 40 French emigres led by Puisaye were settled up Yonge Street; the road is covered in the article on Yonge Street.
Judge, receiver general, and the end of office
Russell reissued his own judicial commission, the last time on March 17, 1798, and was later ordered to give up the judgeship. He remained receiver general under later lieutenant governors. After the death of Peter Hunter in 1805, Alexander Grant was appointed administrator instead of Russell.
Elizabeth Russell and the enslaved household
Russell’s half-sister Elizabeth lived with him at York. He had supported her financially after 1782, and after their father died in 1786 she became his responsibility. When he died she inherited his estate, and she left it in 1822 to the daughters of William Willcocks.
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry on Peggy, an enslaved woman at York, shows what his household involved. Peggy was probably born around 1766 in the Thirteen Colonies, and Russell probably bought her soon after arriving in 1792, though the purchase is not documented. She worked at the estate, Russell Abbey, doing domestic labour and also tending animals and crops on the Petersfield farm. Her husband, Pompadour, was a free Black man, and the couple had three children: Jupiter, Amy, and Milly.
The record shows several attempts to sell or control her. In 1801 Russell and Matthew Elliott tried to sell her to Joseph Brant, but a boatman refused to carry her, and she was jailed in York for a few weeks. In September 1803 she left the property, and Russell published a notice in the Upper Canada Gazette on September 3 warning people not to harbour her; she returned within days. In February 1806 he advertised Peggy and Jupiter for sale, and the records do not show that she was sold. Pompadour died in 1807 and Russell in September 1808. Elizabeth Russell gave Amy to her goddaughter, Elizabeth Denison, and Peggy and Milly gained their freedom only after Elizabeth Russell died in 1822. Peggy was recorded as poor and elderly in 1827. The longer history is in the article on Black history in Toronto.
Russell’s own biography entry does not discuss slavery in Upper Canada, so the details above rest on the separate entry for Peggy.
Death
Russell died at York on September 30, 1808. His years there fall between Simcoe’s founding of the settlement and the growth of the town described in the overview of Toronto’s history.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Peter Russell?
An Irish-born army officer who became receiver general of Upper Canada and administered the province from July 20, 1796, to 1799.
When did Peter Russell die?
He died at York on September 30, 1808.
Did Russell move the capital to York?
Simcoe began the move; Russell kept it and met the first parliament at York in June 1797.
Did Peter Russell hold enslaved people?
Yes. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry on Peggy documents an enslaved woman and her children in his York household.
Related reading
- John Graves Simcoe, the lieutenant governor Russell replaced
- Elizabeth Simcoe and her diary of early York
- The history of Yonge Street
- Black history in Toronto
- People of Toronto history
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “Russell, Peter”
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “Peggy”
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Peter Russell: Administrator of Upper Canada at York. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/peter-russell
MLA: “Peter Russell: Administrator of Upper Canada at York.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/peter-russell. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Peter Russell: Administrator of Upper Canada at York.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/peter-russell.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.