Vankoughnet, Lawrence

  • Wiki: See full biography at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Vankoughnet
    • Lawrence Vankoughnet (1836-1898) was an agent with Canada’s Department of Indian Affairs (DIA) in the late 19th century. Vankoughnet moved quickly up the ranks of the DIA, beginning as a clerk with family connections to prime minister John A. Macdonald. He worked jobs ranging from chief civil servant to deputy superintendent. After a 3-month sick leave for a “disordered nervous system”, he returned to work. Vankoughnet was noted by many historians to be the man who cut costs on the rations the government supplied to the reserves. Despite only visiting the reserves once, where he was reluctant to socialize with the chiefs, Vankoughnet announced his change of policy plans in Battleford shortly afterwards: Indians would only be supplied with rations if they were unable to sustain themselves. Vankoughnet’s goals as deputy superintendent of the DIA was to keep costs to a minimum. He thought that so long as they were supplying reserve peoples with rations, they would remain dependent on the government and therefore a significant burden to their expenditures.
  • Grandson of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=8642
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