Cunard, Joseph

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: W. A. Spray, “CUNARD, JOSEPH,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 9, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/cunard_joseph_9E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Timber merchant, shipbuilder, and politician; b. 1799 at Halifax, N.S., son of Abraham Cunard, merchant, and Margaret Murphy; m. 12 April 1833 Mary Peters of Bushville, N.B., and they had four sons and one daughter; d. 16 Jan. 1865 at Liverpool, England.
    • After attending the Halifax Grammar School Joseph Cunard entered his father’s firm in that town. About 1820 Joseph and his brother Henry went to Chatham, N.B., on the Miramichi River where they opened a branch of the family company, known as Joseph Cunard and Company; their older brother Samuel was also a partner in the branch. They immediately purchased a wharf and a store and were soon involved in lumbering, milling, and shipping on the south side of the river.
    • In 1832 Joseph Cunard was described as one of the wealthiest and most influential merchants in the province. At Chatham his firm owned several mills, including a large steam mill which began operations in 1836 and sawed 40,000 feet of lumber a day. 
    • Cunard’s shipbuilding activities were extensive. A number of vessels were built for him in the years 1827–38, but by 1839 he had two shipyards of his own in Chatham. There he had at least 43 vessels built, including the Velocity, the first steamboat constructed on the Miramichi, which was launched in 1846. Cunard began building ships at Bathurst in 1839 and from 1841 to 1847 was the only shipbuilder in the area. Between 1839 and 1847 he built at least 24 vessels at Bathurst. At his shipyards at Richibucto and Kouchibouguac, which began operations around 1840, he had at least nine vessels constructed in the years 1840–47.
    • Cunard’s recklessness and his overextension of his resources caused him continual trouble. In 1842 the Cunards faced bankruptcy. At the same time, the provincial government took action against Joseph Cunard to force him to settle his accounts with the government. The Executive Council appointed a committee to investigate his debts; it recommended that Cunard post bonds of £3,000 and that his timber, which had been seized earlier, be released. It also recommended an investigation into the conduct of the deputy surveyor in the area, Michael Carruthers, some of whose actions seemed designed to damage Cunard’s business to the advantage of Gilmour, Rankin, and Company. Carruthers was later transferred out of the county. Cunard managed to survive the difficulties but by 1847 was unable to meet his obligations. Depressed economic conditions, strong competition from Gilmour, Rankin, and Company, and reckless expansion of his enterprises all played a part in his downfall. In November 1847 he declared bankruptcy.
    • Cunard was a colourful individual who played a major role in the commercial activities of Northumberland, Restigouche, Kent, and Gloucester counties. His failure in the late 1840s was to affect the economy of the area seriously for many years.
  • Son of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=11503
  • Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173594694/joseph-cunard