George Brown (Canadian politician)
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The Honourable George Brown |
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| Premier of Canada West (Ontario) | |
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In office August 2, 1858 – August 6, 1858 |
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| Preceded by | John A. Macdonald |
| Succeeded by | John A. Macdonald |
| Senator for Lambton, Ontario | |
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In office December 16, 1873 – March 25, 1880 |
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| Appointed by | Alexander Mackenzie |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 29, 1818 Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland |
| Died | May 9, 1880 (aged 61) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Political party | Clear Grit Party |
| Profession | Journalist, publisher, politician |
| Signature |  |
George Brown (November 29, 1818 – May 9, 1880) was a Scottish-born Canadian journalist, politician and one of the Fathers of Confederation; attended the Charlottetown (September 1864) and Quebec (October 1864) conferences. A noted Reform politician, he is best known as the founder and editor of the Toronto Globe, Canada's most influential newspaper at the time. He was an articulate champion of the grievances and anger of Upper Canada (Ontario). He played a major role in securing national unity. His career in active politics faltered after 1865, but he remained a powerful spokesman for the Liberal Party promoting westward expansion and opposing the policies of Conservative Prime Minister John A. Macdonald.
George Brown was born in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, on November 29, 1818. His father, an evangelical Presbyterian, was committed to civil and religious liberty, progress, and laissez-faire economics. He was an enemy of Tory aristocratic privilege, and provided a good education for his son, who brought similar beliefs to the New World.
The family emigrated to New York in 1837, and began publishing newspapers.
Brown discovered he appreciated British parliamentarianism more than American republicanism. He visited Canada several times and was invited to move there in 1843 by Presbyterians.
He began the Toronto Banner in 1843, It was a Presbyterian weekly supporting Free Kirk principles and political reform. Brown's father raised the money and founded a daily newspaper, The Globe in 1844. Filled with strong editorials on religious and political affairs, The Globe quickly became the leading Reform newspaper in the Province of Canada. In 1848, he was appointed to head a Royal Commission to examine accusations of official misconduct in Provincial Penitentiary of the Province of Upper Canada at Kingston. The "Brown Report", which Brown drafted early in 1849, included sufficient evidence of abuse to set in motion the termination of warden Henry Smith. Brown's revelations of poor conditions at the Kingston penitentiary were heavily criticized by John A. Macdonald and contributed to the tense relationship between the two rival politicians.
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