George Hunter Cary

George Hunter Cary
Cary, c. 1860
Attorney General of British Columbia
In office 1859–1861
Governor	James Douglas
Attorney General of Vancouver Island
In office 1859–1864
Governor	James Douglas
Member of the Vancouver Island Legislative Assembly for Victoria Town
In office 1860–1863
Personal details
Born	16 January 1832 Woodford, Essex, United Kingdom
Died	16 July 1866 (aged 34) London, United Kingdom
Spouse	Ellen Martin ​ (m. 1858)​
Alma mater	King's College London

George Hunter Cary (16 January 1832 – 16 July 1866) was an English barrister and colonial official. Born in Essex, he studied law in London, and was recommended for a colonial posting by a family friend. Arriving in British Columbia in 1859, he served as its first Attorney General until 1861, as well as Attorney General of Vancouver Island and later as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island for the constituency of Victoria Town. Cary was noted for his advocacy and implementation of the Torrens land title system in British Columbia, as well as for his eccentricity and tendency for physical altercations with his political and legal opponents.

He engaged in several ill-fated business ventures, including an unsuccessful purchase of Victoria's water supply and investment into two road construction projects in the rural mainland; one was liquidated after he was accused of illegal land speculation, while the other drew later allegations of biological warfare against the First Nations during the 1862 smallpox epidemic. His mental condition continued to deteriorate after leaving office in 1864. He became financially destitute after the construction of his ornate mansion, Cary Castle, and failed investments in the Cariboo Gold Rush. After his clerk witnessed several bouts of absurd behavior from Cary in 1865, he was tricked into returning to London via a forged notification that he had been appointed Lord Chancellor. He died of a suspected stroke or heart failure soon after.