Cockburn Street is named in honour of Lieutenant Colonel (later General Sir) Francis Cockburn.
Francis Cockburn was born in 1780 in England and joined the British Army at the age of 19. He served in South America and the Iberian Peninsula before arriving in Canada in 1811. He led numerous successful raids against the American forces during the War of 1812.
By 1818, as a Lieutenant-Colonel serving in Quebec City, he was made responsible for the military settlements in Upper Canada, including Perth. He took on a great personal interest in the military settlements and the potential prosperity of the district. He returned to England in 1823, but continued to be involved in Canadian matters, providing reports and advice to a British parliamentary committee looking at assisted emigration. Cockburn recommended strong government support of emigration, including an 18-month supply of provisions for settlers. He suggested settlement in the Gaspé and Ottawa regions and between lakes Simcoe and Huron, as well as along a line of communication between New Brunswick and Lower Canada.
In 1829 Cockburn was ordered to British Honduras, where from 1830 to 1837, he was superintendent of the colony. From 1837 to 1844 he served as governor and commander-in-chief of the Bahamas; he was knighted in 1841, made Major-General in 1846, Lieutenant-General in 1854 and General in 1860. He died in 1868.
