Bay-Cloverhill in Toronto, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

William Lyon Mackenzie

1795-1861

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 29, 2022

1. William Lyon Mackenzie Marker

Inscription.
Born near Dundee, Scotland, Mackenzie came to Upper Canada in 1820, and four years later founded a political newspaper, the “Colonial Advocate”, at Queenston. Sharply critical of the ruling oligarchy in the province, he entered politics, became leader of the radical wing of the Reform Party, and in 1834 was elected Toronto’s First Mayor. The rejection of his demands for reform drove him to lead an armed rebellion in Upper Canada in 1837. Defeated by government forces, he escaped to the United States where he found many sympathizers. In 1849 he was permitted to return to Canada and settled in Toronto. Before his death he witnessed the firm establishment of a system of responsible government.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. A significant historical year for this entry is 1795.

Location. 43° 39.753′ N, 79° 23.568′ W. Marker is in Toronto, Ontario. It is in Bay-Cloverhill. Marker is on Queen's Park Crescent West just south of Wellesley Street West, on the left when traveling south. Marker and monument are located beside the sidewalk in Queen's Park, near the northwest corner of the Ontario Legislative Assembly building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 111 Wellesley Street West, Toronto ON M7A 1A2, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion / Le Bataillon Mackenzie-Papineau

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(a few steps from this marker); The Royal Tour of 1939 / Le Voyage Royal de 1939 (a few steps from this marker); Sir Oliver Mowat (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Hon. John Sandfield Macdonald (about 120 meters away); Hon. George Brown (about 150 meters away); Sir James Pliny Whitney (about 150 meters away); The Discovery of Insulin (about 150 meters away); Queen Victoria (about 180 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Toronto.

Also see . . .
1. William Lyon Mackenzie.

A journalist, Member of the Legislative Assembly, first mayor of Toronto and a leader of the Rebellions of 1837, Mackenzie was a central figure in pre-Confederation political life. Mackenzie's venomous attacks on the local oligarchy brought reprisals in the form of libel suits, threats and physical assaults, as well as an attack on his printing office in 1826, which left his press wrecked and the type thrown into the lake. Mackenzie’s scathing attacks on his opponents also led to his repeated expulsion from the Assembly, although he
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 29, 2022

2. William Lyon Mackenzie Marker
(marker is located at ground-level, directly in front of the monument)
was continually re-elected by his rural constituents.

(Submitted on October 15, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. William Lyon Mackenzie.

Mackenzie fled to the United States and rallied American support to invade Upper Canada and overthrow the province's government. This violated the Neutrality Act, which prohibits invading a foreign country (with which the United States is not at war) from American territory. Mackenzie was arrested and sentenced to eighteen months' imprisonment. He was jailed for more than ten months before he was pardoned by the American president Martin Van Buren. After his release, Mackenzie lived in several cities in New York State and tried to publish newspapers, but these ventures failed. The parliament of the newly created Province of Canada, formed from the merger of Upper and Lower Canada, granted Mackenzie amnesty in 1849 and he returned to Canada.

(Submitted on October 15, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. William Lyon Mackenzie Memorial.

Prime Minister Mackenzie King initiated the project in 1936 as a way to honour his grandfather, William Lyon Mackenzie, who in 1837 led an armed rebellion in Upper Canada in an effort to establish greater government accountability. The work features a tall
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 29, 2022

3. William Lyon Mackenzie Sculpture
Walter Seymour Allward's bust of William Lyon Mackenzie outside the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in Toronto.
vertical pedestal supporting a bronze bust of William Lyon Mackenzie. Behind and to the right is a horizontal granite pedestal surmounted by a bronze figure leaning forward and holding a law book in one hand and a broken harness in the other, symbolizing the oppressed farmers who rose up against the British colonial government.

(Submitted on October 17, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

William Lyon Mackenzie Monument image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 29, 2022

4. William Lyon Mackenzie Monument

(Legislative Assembly of Ontario in background)
To commemorate the struggle for responsible government in Upper Canada and the pioneers of a political system which unites in free association the nations of the British Commonwealth
——————
In memory of William Lyon Mackenzie • 1795-1861
First Mayor of Toronto • 1834
Member for York in the Legislature of Upper Canada • 1828-1836
and for Haldimand in the Legislative Assembly of Canada • 1851-1858

Credits. This page was last revised on October 17, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 15, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 102 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 15, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 4. submitted on October 17, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.