Quick Facts
Biography
James Murray Yale (c. 1798 – 7 May 1871) was a clerk, and later, a chief trader for the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) at Fort Langley.
Yale was born in Lachine, Lower Canada in 1796. He joined the HBC in 1815, and served first at Fort Wedderburn on Lake Athabasca. In April 1817, he was kidnapped by North West Company men and taken to Great Slave Lake for five months. In 1821, Yale was moved to New Caledonia and put in charge of Fort George until 1824. He then served at Fort Alexandria and Fort St. James. In 1827, he accompanied George Simpson on his exploratory trip down the Fraser River. At the end of the journey, Yale remained in Fort Langley, where he worked as a clerk until he replaced Archibald McDonald as chief trader on February 20, 1833. He continued there until his retirement in 1859.
When Fort Yale was built in 1848, it was named for him.
Yale was distantly related to Elihu Yale.