William Lyon Mackenzie
| William Lyon Mackenzie | |
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| 1st Mayor of Toronto | |
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In office March 27, 1834 – January 14, 1835 |
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| Preceded by | Alexander Macdonell (Chairman of York) |
| Succeeded by | Robert Sullivan |
| Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for York | |
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In office January 8, 1829 – March 6, 1834 |
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| President of the Republic of Canada | |
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In office December 13, 1837 – January 14, 1838 |
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Office destablished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 12, 1795 Dundee, Scotland, UK |
| Died | August 28, 1861 (aged 66) Toronto, Canada West, British Empire |
| Resting place | Toronto Necropolis |
| Political party | Reform |
| Spouse(s) | Isabel Baxter |
| Occupation | Journalist, Politician |
| Religion | |
| Signature |  |
William Lyon Mackenzie (March 12, 1795 – August 28, 1861) was a Scottish-Canadian-American journalist and politician. He was the first mayor of Toronto and was a leader during the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.
William Lyon Mackenzie was born on March 12, 1795, in Scotland in the Dundee suburb Springfield. His mother Elizabeth (née Chambers) of Kirkmichael was a widow seventeen years older than his father, weaver Daniel Mackenzie; the couple married on May 8, 1794. Daniel died 27 days after William's birth, and his 45-year-old mother raised him alone; with the support of relatives, as Daniel had left her no significant property. Elizabeth Mackenzie was a deeply religious woman, a proponent of the Secession, a branch of Scottish Presbyterianism deeply committed to the separation of church and state. While Mackenzie was not a religious man himself; he remained a lifelong proponent of separation of church and state.
Mackenzie entered a parish grammar school at Dundee at age 5, thanks to a bursary, and then moved on to a Mr. Adie's school. He was a voracious reader, keeping a list of the 958 books he read between 1806 and 1820. By 1810 he was writing for a local newspaper. During this time he also joined an early Mechanics Institute. It was there that he met Edward Lesslie and his sons James and John, who played a large role in his life. They would all be key to establishing a Mechanics Institute in Toronto.
Mackenzie's mother arranged for him to apprentice with tradesmen in Dundee, but in 1814, he secured financial backing from Edward Lesslie to open a general store and circulating library in Alyth. During this period Mackenzie had a relationship with Isabel Reid, of whom nothing is known except that she gave birth to Mackenzie's illegitimate son on July 17, 1814. The boy was raised by Mackenzie's mother.
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