Sir John Coape, Lord Sherbrooke (baptised April 29 1764 - February 14 1830) was a British soldier and colonial administrator. After serving in the British army in Nova Scotia, the Netherlands, India, the Mediterranean (including Sicily), and Spain, he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia in 1811.

His active defense of the colony during the War of 1812 led to his appointment as Governor General of British North America in 1816. His talent as a mediator helped settle disputes between anglophones and francophones, and he won the confidence of Louis-Joseph Papineau.

Ill health (probably a stroke) forced him to resign after only two years, and he retired to Nottinghamshire in England. However, his brief tenure was remembered as a period of calm before the coming storm (see Rebellions of 1837).

The city of Sherbrooke, Quebec is named after him, as is a major street in Montreal.

See also

• List of Canadian Governors General

External links

• Biography at the Canadian Dictionary of Biography Online
• National Assembly biography (in French)