1795–1861
Toronto Necropolis
Section O Lot 94
Born in Dundee, Scotland, William Lyon Mackenzie arrived in Upper Canada in 1820. Two years later, he married Isobel Baxter, and together they raised 13 children. Mackenzie’s early years in Canada were marked by entrepreneurial ventures, but his true calling emerged in political journalism.
On May 18, 1824, Mackenzie published the first issue of the Colonial Advocate, a newspaper that would become the voice of Upper Canada’s Reform movement. His relentless criticism of the ruling elite, characterized as the Family Compact, earned him both admiration and enemies. His office was famously attacked in 1826, with his printing press destroyed and type thrown into Lake Ontario. Undeterred, Mackenzie continued his crusade for responsible government.
In 1828, he was elected the York County representative in the Upper Canada Legislative Assembly. His fiery speeches and scathing editorials led to repeated expulsions, but his popularity never waned. In Toronto’s year of incorporation, 1834, he became the city’s first mayor and introduced the city’s coat of arms and motto: Industry, Intelligence, Integrity. During his term, he worked tirelessly, even through a cholera epidemic.
Frustrated by the lack of progress towards reform, Mackenzie led an armed uprising on December 5, 1837, the famous Battle of Montgomery’s Tavern. The rebellion failed, forcing him to flee to the United States, where he continued advocating for democratic reforms in Upper Canada. After 10 years in exile, and a stint in prison for violating US neutrality laws, he was pardoned in 1849 and returned to Toronto. Mackenzie resumed his political and journalistic work until retiring in 1857.
Mackenzie died on August 28, 1861, at his home on Bond Street. His legacy as a radical reformer and champion of democratic ideals lives on, despite controversy surrounding his methods. His grandson, William Lyon Mackenzie King, would later become Canada’s longest-serving prime minister.
Sources:
• Mount Pleasant Group – William Lyon Mackenzie
• The Canadian Encyclopedia – William Lyon Mackenzie
• Dictionary of Canadian Biography – William Lyon Mackenzie
• Wikipedia – William Lyon Mackenzie
Photos:
• Portrait - Shane Prentice 1813-1888, Public domain, via Wikimedia commons
• Gravestone - Public domain, Toronto Public Library
• Group shot at gravestone - Public domain, Toronto Public Library
• Proclamation - J. Ross Robertson, Public domain, via Wikimedia commons
• House, York Street, west side, north of Richmond Street West, Circa 1912, Public domain, Toronto Public Library
