George Brown
November 29, 1818 – May 9, 1880
Founder of the Toronto Globe and a Father of Confederation — the man John A. Macdonald could neither beat nor ignore, shot in his own office by a dismissed employee.
The Story
George Brown was born in Alloa, Scotland, on November 29, 1818, emigrated to Canada in 1843, and within a year founded the Toronto Globe — soon the most influential newspaper in the country and the thundering voice of Reform. Brown entered politics, championed representation by population, and pushed hard for western expansion.
In 1864, breaking a deadlocked parliament, Brown joined his great rival Macdonald in the Great Coalition and went to the Charlottetown and Quebec conferences — making him a Father of Confederation and a founder of the Liberal Party. On March 25, 1880, a dismissed former employee named George Bennett walked into the Globe office and shot Brown in the leg. The wound turned gangrenous, and Brown died on May 9, 1880. Bennett was hanged for the murder.
In 1864, breaking a deadlocked parliament, Brown joined his great rival Macdonald in the Great Coalition and went to the Charlottetown and Quebec conferences — making him a Father of Confederation and a founder of the Liberal Party. On March 25, 1880, a dismissed former employee named George Bennett walked into the Globe office and shot Brown in the leg. The wound turned gangrenous, and Brown died on May 9, 1880. Bennett was hanged for the murder.
- Buried
- Toronto Necropolis, Toronto