John Abraham

Who was John Abraham?

John Abraham was a governor of the now abandoned Hudson's Bay Company settlement at Port Nelson on Hudson Bay, located in the northern part of the modern province of Manitoba.

Immediately after joining the HBC in 1672, Abraham was sent to Hudson Bay, where he served under Governor Charles Bayly until 1678. In 1679, possibly as a result of Abraham's accusations of mismanagement, Bayly was recalled to London and replaced by John Nixon. Abraham held the position of Nixon's second-in-command until 1681, when he was assigned to The Diligence under the command Captain Nehemiah Walker.

Ignoring Nixon's criticisms of him, the HBC promoted Abraham to Captain of The George in 1683 and set sail for Port Nelson, where a fort had been established the previous year by Governor John Bridgar. Upon his arrival, Abraham discovered that the HBC's post had been routed by Pierre Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers, French agents competing with the HBC. Due to this and the fact that Bridgar had been captured and taken to Quebec by Radisson and Des Groseilliers, Abraham assumed command of Port Nelson.