1867–1934
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Plot 6 Section 67 Lot 11
Frederic Newton Gisborne Starr was one of Canada’s most influential early medical leaders. Born in Thorold, Ont., Starr graduated from Victoria University and the University of Toronto in 1889. His surgical career flourished at Toronto General Hospital, where he became senior surgeon and later professor of clinical surgery at U of T.
At just 26, Starr saved the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) from collapse. In 1893, when a motion to dissolve the CMA was introduced, Starr, then Secretary-General, rallied support and revitalized the organization, dramatically increasing membership during his eight-year tenure. His vision later led to the creation of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1931, where he served as its first surgeon president. Starr was also a founding fellow of the American College of Surgeons, serving as its second vice-president in 1924–25.
Dr. Frederic Starr retired in 1933 and passed away in Toronto on April 21, 1934. Two years later, the CMA established the F.N.G. Starr Award, often called the “Victoria Cross of Canadian medicine,” honouring Canadian physicians for their outstanding lifetime achievements in the medical profession.
Sources:
• American College of Surgeons – Frederick Newton Gisborne Starr, MD, FACS
• Canadian Medical Association Journal – Obituary: “Dr. F.N.G. Starr: in memory of the medical statesman”
• WikiTree – Frederic Newton Gisborne Starr
• CMA – F.N.G. Starr Award
Photo: Corlis Studio, Toronto
