| Sir John Stephen Willison | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1856-11-09)November 9, 1856 Near Hills Green, Huron County, Upper Canada |
| Died | May 27, 1927(1927-05-27) (aged 70) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Known for | Editor of The Globe |
Sir John Stephen Willison, FRSC (November 9, 1856 – May 27, 1927) was a Canadian newspaperman, author, and businessman.
Born near Hills Green, Huron County, Canada West, the son of Stephen Willison, a blacksmith, and Jane Abram, Willison left school at the age of 15. After working as an assistant teacher and a clerk, he started working in journalism with the London Advertiser in 1881 and then with the Globe in 1883. In 1886, he reported from the Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa, Ontario. While in Ottawa he became friends with future Prime Minister of Canada Wilfrid Laurier, whom he advised extensively on questions of provincial rights and language policy.
In 1890, Willison was appointed editor of the Globe. In 1900, he was elected president of the Canadian Press Association and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1903, his book Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Liberal party: a political history was published.
In 1902, he left the Globe and went to work at The Toronto Evening News. In 1908, he was appointed the Canadian correspondent of the British newspaper The Times. In 1919, his memoir Reminiscences, political and personal was published.
In 1913, he was made a Knight Bachelor.
He died in Toronto in 1927.
Further reading
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Liberal Party; a political history, Volume 1 at Archive.org
- Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Liberal Party : a political history, Volume 2 at Archive.org
- The new Canada : a survey of the conditions and problems of the Dominion at Archive.org
- Reminiscences, political and personal at Archive.org
References
- Annett, Evan (18 February 2024). "The dynamic duo of 'sunny ways'". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
In the 1890s, The Globe's editor and Liberal leader Wilfrid Laurier were close friends who loved to argue – and that helped English and French Canada defuse a national unity crisis
- "John Stephen Willison". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.
External links
Works by or about John Stephen Willison at Wikisource- Works by Sir John Willison at Faded Page (Canada)
- 1856 births
- 1927 deaths
- Canadian journalists
- Canadian Knights Bachelor
- 20th-century Canadian memoirists
- Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
- People from Huron County, Ontario
- The Times people
- Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
- 19th-century Canadian journalists
- 20th-century Canadian journalists