John Beverley Robinson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 5thLieutenant Governor of Ontario | |
| In office July 1, 1880 – May 31, 1887 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governors General | Marquess of Lorne The Marquess of Lansdowne |
| Premier | Oliver Mowat |
| Preceded by | Donald Alexander Macdonald |
| Succeeded by | Sir Alexander Campbell |
| Member of theCanadian Parliament forAlgoma | |
| In office October 12, 1872 – January 22, 1874 | |
| Preceded by | Frederick William Cumberland |
| Succeeded by | Edward Borron |
| Member of theCanadian Parliament forWest Toronto | |
| In office November 6, 1875 – June 30, 1880 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Moss |
| Succeeded by | James Beaty Jr. |
| 12th Mayor of Toronto | |
| In office 1856–1856 | |
| Preceded by | George William Allan |
| Succeeded by | John Hutchison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1821-02-21)February 21, 1821 |
| Died | June 19, 1896(1896-06-19) (aged 75) |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Mary Jane Hagerman (m. 1847)[1] |
John Beverley Robinson (February 21, 1821 – June 19, 1896) was aCanadian politician, lawyer and businessman. He was mayor ofToronto and a provincial and federal member of parliament. He was thefifthLieutenant Governor of Ontario between the years 1880–1887.
He was born inYork, Upper Canada (later Toronto) in 1821, the son ofSir John Robinson, an important political figure inUpper Canada. He attendedUpper Canada College, where he was a leadingcricketer, eventually representingCanada in the inaugural international cricket match, againstUnited States in 1844.[2]
During theUpper Canada Rebellion of 1837, Robinson served as aide-de-camp to SirFrancis Bond Head. He later studied law and was called to the bar in 1844.[3] He became an alderman in Toronto at St. Patrick's Ward during the 1850s, including a term as mayor in 1856.[1] He was also involved in the incorporation of a number of companies in the Toronto area including the Toronto and Georgian Bay Canal Company in 1856. He was elected to the6th Parliament of the Province of Canada representing Toronto in 1858. He helped promote theNorthern Railway and served as president from 1862 to 1875. He representedAlgoma in theHouse of Commons of Canada in 1872 and representedWest Toronto in 1878. He was also a member of theOrange Order in Canada.
He briefly lived at The Grange, a house in Springfield,Toronto Township. NowErindale, a community inMississauga, it is home toHeritage Mississauga.[4]
He suffered astroke while preparing to give a speech atMassey Hall in Toronto and died in 1896.[3]
Hon. John Beverley Robinson married Mary Jane Hagerman, daughter of JudgeChristopher Alexander Hagerman and his wife Elizabeth, daughter ofJames Macaulay. Their daughter Minnie Caroline Robinson was born and educated in Toronto. She married, 1881, William Forsyth-Grant, Esquire, formerly Captain of H.M.'s 82nd Regiment, son of William Forsyth, Esquire, of Ecclesgreig Castle, County Kincardine, Scotland, J. P. and D.L., who, in 1842, assumed by Royal licence the additional surname of Grant (Chad-wick). her husband was grandson ofJohn Forsyth ofMontreal. She contributed to periodicals and newspapers and authored a travel book "Scenes in Hawaii, or Life in the Sandwich Islands." She served as President of the Woman's Historical Society of Toronto, and was elected President of the Ladies' Relief Society ofToronto, Ontario.
The couple's youngest daughter Augusta Louisa, sang in London at public concerts, in company with other artists, and was also on tour in the Provinces. During John Beverley Robinson's term as Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, 1880–87, his wife Mary Jane Robinson and daughter Augusta Louise dispensed the hospitalities of Government House. She frequently sang at Government House and subsequently took vocal instruction in London, from Randegger, and in Paris, from Laborde. In London she lived with the song composer,Maude Valérie White.Augusta Louisa returned to Canada in 1895, and sang on tour withEmma Albani,Pol Plançon,Harry Plunket Greene, andAllan James Foley. She married, October 8, 1898, Stewart Fielde Houston, Barrister.[5]
| 1872 Canadian federal election:Algoma | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
| Conservative | John Beverly Robinson | 300 | 57.80 | |||||
| Unknown | G. J. Denison Jr. | 219 | 42.20 | |||||
| Source: Canadian Elections Database[6] | ||||||||
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Ontario 1880–1887 | Succeeded by |
| Professional and academic associations | ||
| Preceded by | President of theRoyal Canadian Institute | Succeeded by |
