George Brown (Canadian politician)
Scottish Canadian journalist, Father of Confederation, founded Liberal Party.
George Brown (November 29, 1818 – May 9, 1880) was a Scottish Canadian journalist, politician, and a Father of Confederation who also founded the town of Bothwell. He took part in both the Charlottetown and Quebec conferences. A prominent Reform figure, Brown is chiefly remembered for creating and editing the Toronto Globe, at the time Canada’s most powerful newspaper, and for helping establish the Liberal Party in 1867. He forcefully voiced the frustrations and anger of Upper Canada (Ontario) and was instrumental in bringing about national unity. After 1865, his active political career declined, but he remained a strong voice for the Liberal Party. He backed westward expansion and opposed the policies of Conservative prime minister John A. Macdonald.
Brown was born on November 29, 1818, in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, the eldest son of Peter Brown, who ran a wholesale business in Edinburgh and managed a glassworks in Alloa, and Marianne (née Mackenzie). He had two older sisters, two younger sisters, and four younger brothers, three of whom died in infancy. Baptised at St. Cuthbert’s Chapel of Ease, he lived in Alloa until moving to Edinburgh before age eight. He attended Royal High School and later the Southern Academy of Edinburgh. After graduation, he persuaded his father to let him work in the family business instead of going to university. He spent a short time in London learning from business agents, then returned to Edinburgh and joined the Philo-Lectic Society, where young men debated topics in a parliamentary style. His father, a member of the Edinburgh Emancipation Society, organised a party for abolitionist George Thompson in 1836 and recruited George to help.
Peter Brown also worked as a collector of assessments, and in 1836 some municipal funds he had mixed with his business accounts were lost in speculation. Though not accused of corruption, he tried to restore his reputation and recover the money by calling in loans, but the economic depression of 1837 made that impossible. He decided to emigrate to New York City, and George accompanied him, leaving Europe in May 1837.
They landed in New York in June 1837. Peter opened a dry goods store on Broadway, with George as his assistant. The following year, Brown’s mother and sisters joined them, and the family rented a home on Varick Street. As the store grew, George travelled to New England,
- born
- November 29, 1818, Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland
- died
- May 9, 1880
- field
- Journalism, politics
- nationality
- Scottish Canadian
- known_for
- Founder and editor of the Toronto Globe; Father of Confederation; founder of the Liberal Party
Lore & Background
George Brown was born in Alloa, Scotland, the eldest son of Peter Brown and Marianne Mackenzie. He attended Royal High School and the Southern Academy of Edinburgh before working in the family business. In 1837, he accompanied his father to New York City, where they opened a dry goods store. In 1842, his father published the British Chronicle, a Whig-Liberal newspaper; George became its publisher in 1843. After touring Canada, he convinced his father to move the paper to Upper Canada, and they published the last New York issue on July 22, 1843.
In Toronto, the Browns launched the Banner in August 1843. George managed the secular department, and the paper became critical of Governor-General Charles Metcalfe after he prorogued the Reform-dominated assembly. In 1844, Reformers offered Brown £250 to start a new paper; he published the first issue of The Globe in March 1844. He bought a rotary press, the first in Upper Canada, and later expanded into book publishing. In 1848, Brown was appointed to lead a Royal Commission investigating the Provincial Penitentiary in Portsmouth, Canada West; his report documented abuse and recommended reforms.
Reader's Guide
George Brown's significance lies in his dual role as a journalist and politician who shaped Canadian Confederation and the Liberal Party. As founder and editor of the Toronto Globe, he created Canada's most influential newspaper, using it to champion the grievances of Upper Canada and promote Reform policies. He attended the Charlottetown and Quebec conferences, helping to secure national unity. His leadership in founding the Liberal Party in 1867 established a major political force. After 1865, his active political career faltered, but he remained a powerful Liberal spokesman, promoting westward expansion and opposing Conservative prime minister John A. Macdonald. His investigative work on prison reform also demonstrated his commitment to accountability.
Did You Know?
- George Brown was baptised in St. Cuthbert's Chapel of Ease in Scotland.
- He bought the first rotary press used in Upper Canada for his newspaper The Globe.
- Brown led a Royal Commission that documented abuse in the Provincial Penitentiary in Portsmouth, Canada West.
- He convinced his father to move the British Chronicle from New York to Upper Canada in 1843.
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