Henry Sherwood

Henry Sherwood
The Hon. Henry Sherwood
4th Premier of Canada West
In office 1846–1850
Preceded by	William Henry Draper
Succeeded by	Robert Baldwin
7th Mayor of Toronto
In office 1842–1844
Preceded by	George Monro
Succeeded by	William Henry Boulton
Personal details
Born	1807 Augusta Township, Upper Canada
Died	July 7, 1855 (aged 47–48) Bad Kissingen, Bavaria
Political party	Tory
Spouse(s)	Mary Drite
Profession	lawyer, local politician

Henry Sherwood, Q.C. (1807 – July 7, 1855) was a Canadian lawyer and Tory politician, involved in both provincial and municipal politics. He was appointed Queen's Counsel on 23 January 1838. He served as Mayor of Toronto (1842 to 1844), Solicitor-General of Canada West (1842) and as Joint Premier of the Province of Canada (May 28, 1847 to March 11, 1848). He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada. He was born in Augusta Township, Upper Canada, and died in Bavaria in 1855 while travelling in Europe.

In 1836, Sherwood was elected to the 13th Parliament of Upper Canada representing the town of Brockville. This was the last Parliament of the province of Upper Canada, which in 1841 was united with the province of Lower Canada into the new Province of Canada by the Act of Union 1840, enacted by the British Parliament.

In March 1841, Sherwood stood for election to the new Parliament of the Province of Canada, this time from Toronto, with the Mayor of Toronto, George Monro, as his co-candidate on a Tory ticket. Despite having the full backing of the Orange Order and the conservative establishment, they were defeated in the election by the Reform candidates, Isaac Buchanan and John Dunn. A riot ensued the next day when a victory parade by the Reformers was attacked by Orangemen carrying knives, sticks and firearms. The Orangemen were based at the Coleraine Tavern and had been brought in from Scarborough, Ontario by the tavern's owner, Samuel Sherwood, who happened to be Henry's brother. One man was killed by a shot fired from the tavern.