Alexander Kennedy Isbister

Who was Alexander Kennedy Isbister?

Alexander Kennedy Isbister was born at Cumberland House in what is now Saskatchewan. He was an HBC employee in his early career and later was an educator and a lawyer.

Isbister was Métis and educated in Orkney and at the Red River Colony. His first HBC posting was to Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories which is in the Mackenzie River District. He assisted John Bell in establishing Fort McPherson on the Peel River. During that period, he explored the Mackenzie River basin and later used the information gathered to produce important geological writings and the first chromolithograph map for the area.

In 1842, Alexander left for Britain where he was an educator and lawyer and a champion of Métis rights. The passion over Métis rights grew out of discrimination he had felt during his tenure with the Hudson's Bay Company.

In 1861, the Royal College of Preceptors established The Educational Times as its official journal. Isbister was appointed as its editor and held the position for many years. In 1873, he was elected as the College’s dean, in part, due to his conservative, scholarly and cautious approach to educational development.