Lord Durham was John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham (1792–1840), a British Whig statesman and colonial administrator. He is best known for serving as Governor General and High Commissioner of British North America (Canada) in 1838 during a turbulent period marked by the Rebellions of 1837. Durham is most famous for the "Durham Report" (1839), which he presented to the British government. This report proposed the union of Upper and Lower Canada and introduced the concept of responsible government, where the executive would be accountable to a representative legislature. His report also controversially advocated the assimilation of the French-Canadian population into English culture. His ideas laid important groundwork for the development of Canadian self-government and the British Commonwealth of Nations. Durham was a reformer who also played a role in British politics and colonial affairs outside Canada, including efforts in New Zealand. He died in 1840 shortly after his return to England.