Joseph Cunard was born in Halifax, the son of Abraham Cunard and Margaret Murphy. His parents had four sons and one daughter.
He attended Halifax Grammar School before joining his father’s business in the city. Around 1820, Joseph and his brother Henry moved to Chatham, on the Miramichi River, where they established a branch of the family business, Joseph Cunard and Company. Their older brother, Samuel, later joined as a partner. The company quickly acquired a wharf and a store and soon expanded into the lumber, milling, and shipping industries on the river’s south side.
By 1832, Joseph Cunard was among the most prosperous and influential merchants in the province. In Chatham, his company operated multiple mills, including a large steam mill, which began operations in 1836 and could process 40,000 feet of lumber per day. The firm also ran a brickworks, several stores, a counting house with 30 employees, and at least two shipyards. Additional mills were built downstream, and a store was opened in Shippegan.
In 1830, the company expanded into Kent County, establishing stores in Kouchibouguac and Richibucto. By 1841, William Raymond reported conducting £100,000 worth of business with Cunard in Kouchibouguac, with approximately one-third of the payments made in ships. Cunard’s ventures in Kent County briefly made Richibucto the third-largest shipping port in New Brunswick.
In 1831, the firm acquired stores, houses, and other buildings in Bathurst and began shipping timber the following year. As a result, Bathurst’s lumber exports skyrocketed from 1,300 tons in 1829 to 26,500 tons in 1833.
By 1841, Joseph’s brothers were no longer actively involved in the Miramichi firm, giving him greater control over its operations. However, Samuel remained a partner until 1846 and continued to provide advice on various business ventures.
Joseph made Chatham his base and became deeply involved in local affairs and politics. He served as a justice of the peace, a member and chairman of the Board of Health for Northumberland and Gloucester counties, and a commissioner of lighthouses. In 1828, he was elected as an MHA for Northumberland County, holding his seat until his appointment to the Legislative Council in 1833. From 1838 to 1846, he also served on the Executive Council, though he was not a particularly prominent figure within the organization and largely avoided controversy.
As chairman of the Board of Health, Cunard played a key role in establishing a lazaret on Sheldrake Island in 1844. In 1848, he and other Board of Health members, along with the lepers residing there, opposed a local magistrate’s plan to relocate the quarantine station for arriving immigrants from Middle Island—which Cunard owned—to Sheldrake Island. Despite their objections, the buildings were moved later that year. However, the government ultimately decided to transfer the quarantine station to Chatham before the end of 1848.
Joseph Cunard was an imposing figure, standing over six feet tall and weighing more than 200 pounds. He was often seen riding through Chatham on horseback, traveling between his mills, store, and home while shouting instructions to his workers. When attending church, he arrived in a coach accompanied by footmen in livery. His grand residence was lavishly furnished, with peacocks roaming the grounds. For the opening of his steam mill in 1836, he hosted a banquet for 300 guests. Upon returning from trips to England, he was often greeted in Chatham with cannon salutes and ringing church bells. At times, he even announced his arrival from Richibucto so that the town could prepare a proper welcome. A contemporary described him as “loved and hated, admired and feared—brusque, good-hearted when he wanted to be, grasping, domineering—all the contradictory qualities that defined the hard, crude, lavish life of the Miramichi a century ago.”
In 1839, Joseph accompanied his brother Samuel to England, where Samuel secured a contract to transport transatlantic mail via steamship. While no evidence suggests Joseph played a role in the negotiations, he was met with a triumphant reception upon his return to Chatham. At the time, the impact of steam power on the wooden ship industry—and the region’s economy—was not yet fully understood.
Cunard had as many rivals as admirers. Upon arriving in Chatham, he quickly entered into a fierce competition with Gilmour, Rankin, and Company, an already established firm in the Miramichi region. One of their earliest disputes involved timber rights on the northwest Miramichi and Nepisiguit rivers. Between 1830 and 1832, as part of Thomas Baillie’s efforts to develop the timber industry, Cunard was granted over 500 square miles of valuable reserves, provided he improved the waterways by constructing sluices and clearing obstacles. At first, no other firm showed interest in the area, but after Cunard proved its profitability, Alexander Rankin challenged his claim. When Cunard failed to complete the promised improvements, the Colonial Office ordered him to relinquish the reserves in 1833—his first major defeat at the hands of Rankin’s firm.
Their rivalry persisted for years, leading to disputes over timber rights, trespassing on mill properties, and even political battles. During the heated “fighting elections” of 1842–1843 in Northumberland County, Cunard backed John Thomas Williston, while Rankin supported John Ambrose Street. The campaigns saw violent clashes between crowds of 500 to 1,000 men, prompting the deployment of troops to restore order. When Street won, it marked another loss for Cunard.
Cunard’s aggressive expansion and financial overreach repeatedly put him at risk. By 1842, the Cunard family faced bankruptcy, and the provincial government took action to settle Joseph’s debts. The Executive Council formed a committee that recommended he post £3,000 in bonds and release seized timber holdings. The inquiry also investigated deputy surveyor Michael Carruthers, whose actions appeared to benefit Gilmour, Rankin, and Company at Cunard’s expense. Carruthers was ultimately reassigned.
Despite surviving these setbacks, Cunard’s financial troubles worsened. By 1847, an economic downturn, fierce competition, and his rapid expansion proved disastrous. In November of that year, he declared bankruptcy, triggering panic in Chatham, where hundreds depended on him for work. An angry mob gathered in the streets, shouting, “Shoot Cunard!” Armed with two pistols in his boots, he stood his ground and reportedly challenged, “Now show me the man who will shoot Cunard.” The crowd eventually dispersed. Newspapers reported that between 500 and 1,000 people lost their jobs, forcing many to leave the area in search of work. Several local firms also went bankrupt. While Cunard’s collapse led to a prolonged downturn in the Miramichi timber trade, shipbuilding saw a resurgence in the 1850s.
In 1849, Cunard left New Brunswick but soon returned in an unsuccessful attempt to settle his debts. His financial troubles remained unresolved until 1871, when his brother Samuel absorbed most of the burden. In 1850, Joseph left Chatham for good and relocated to Liverpool, England. There, he entered the ship commission business, becoming a partner in Cunard, Munn, and Company. In 1855, he founded Cunard, Brett, and Austin, which later became Cunard, Wilson, and Company in 1857. These firms operated on commission for colonial merchants and lumber traders, buying and selling ships and timber. His final company remained active until his death in 1865.
Joseph Cunard was a larger-than-life figure who left a lasting mark on the commercial development of Northumberland, Restigouche, Kent, and Gloucester counties. His financial collapse in the late 1840s had severe and long-lasting effects on the region’s economy, underscoring both his influence and the precarious nature of business in the Miramichi.
This post has already been read 4123 times!
