- John Ross Robertson
John Ross Robertson (
December 28 1841 –31 May 1918 ) was a Canadiannewspaper publisher ,politician , and philanthropist inToronto ,Ontario .Born in Toronto, the son of son of John Robertson and Margaret Sinclair, Robertson was educated at
Upper Canada College , a private high school in Toronto. As a young man, he started a newspaper at UCC called "Young Canada" and a satirical magazine, "The Grumbler".He was hired as a
reporter and thencity editor at "The Globe" in Toronto, but left "The Globe" to found "The Telegraph" in 1866. That paper soon folded, and Robertson went toEngland as a reporter for "The Globe". He returned to Toronto in 1876 to launch the "Toronto Evening Telegram", which became the voice of working class, conservative, Orange Toronto.He was elected to the
Canadian House of Commons for the electoral district ofToronto East in the 1896 federal election defeating the incumbent Conservative MP,Emerson Coatsworth . An Independent Conservative, he did not run for re-election in 1900.The world of sports was also a focus for Robertson’s public-spiritedness. A fervent advocate of amateur sport, he served as president of the
Ontario Hockey Association from 1899 to 1905, which was a critical time period in the history of the sport. His battle to protect hockey from the influence of professionalism caused him to be called the “father of Amateur Hockey in Ontario.” During his term as president, the OHA was able to set rules defining professionalism in hockey. He worked especially hard to rid hockey of increasing violence both on and off the ice. Robertson’s donation of silver trophies to hockey, cricket, and bowling further encouraged amateur competition. The championship trophy of theOntario Hockey League , theJ. Ross Robertson Cup , is still named in his honour. He was inducted into theHockey Hall of Fame in 1945.He bequeathed his a considerable book collection to the
Toronto Public Library , founded a children's home, and left a large annuity to the TorontoHospital for Sick Children . The John Ross Robertson Public School, an elementary school of theToronto District School Board is named after Robertson, and is located at 130 Glengrove Avenue West in Toronto.ources
*cite news | first= | last= | pages= | title=John Ross Robertson | date=June 1, 2005| publisher=Globe and Mail | url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20050531.OBBRIEF31-4/PPVStory/?DENIED=1
*DictCanbio|ID=7674
*CanParlbio|ID=7bc24d54-aa9b-473f-9474-e1dcecefbd1fExternal links
* [http://www.tdsb.on.ca/scripts/Schoolasp.asp?schno=5296 John Ross Robertson Public School]
*Find A Grave|id=6362
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