John Graves Simcoe (1752 - 1806) was a British Army general and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791
until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded York (now Toronto) and was
instrumental in introducing institutions such as courts of law, trial by jury, English common law, and freehold land
tenure, and also in the abolition of slavery in Canada.
His long-term goal was the development of Upper Canada (Ontario) as a model community built on aristocratic and
conservative principles, designed to demonstrate the superiority of those principles to the Republicanism and democracy of
the United States. His energetic efforts were only partially successful in establishing a local gentry, a thriving Church
of England, and an anti-American coalition with select Indigenous nations. He is seen by many Canadians as a founding
figure in Canadian history, especially by those in Southern Ontario. He is commemorated in Toronto with Simcoe Day.
until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded York (now Toronto) and was
instrumental in introducing institutions such as courts of law, trial by jury, English common law, and freehold land
tenure, and also in the abolition of slavery in Canada.
His long-term goal was the development of Upper Canada (Ontario) as a model community built on aristocratic and
conservative principles, designed to demonstrate the superiority of those principles to the Republicanism and democracy of
the United States. His energetic efforts were only partially successful in establishing a local gentry, a thriving Church
of England, and an anti-American coalition with select Indigenous nations. He is seen by many Canadians as a founding
figure in Canadian history, especially by those in Southern Ontario. He is commemorated in Toronto with Simcoe Day.