John Stephen Willison
Encyclopedia
Sir John Stephen Willison (November 9, 1856 – May 27, 1927) was a Canadian
newspaperman, author, and businessman.
Born near Hills Green, Huron County
, Upper Canada
, 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
. While in Ottawa he became friends with future Prime Minister of Canada
Wilfrid Laurier
.
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.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
newspaperman, author, and businessman.
Born near Hills Green, Huron County
Huron County, Ontario
Huron County is a census division and county of the province of Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeast shore of its namesake, Lake Huron, in the southwest part of the province...
, Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, 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
The Globe (Toronto newspaper)
The Globe was a newspaper in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, founded in 1844 by George Brown as a Reform voice. It merged with The Mail and Empire in 1936 to form The Globe and Mail.-History:...
in 1883. In 1886, he reported from the Parliamentary Press Gallery
Parliamentary Press Gallery
The Parliamentary Press Gallery is an association established to oversee rules and responsibilities of Canadian journalists when at Parliament Hill. The organization was formed the same year as Canada's Confederation in 1867, by The Honourable Thomas White. During the early years of the...
in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. While in Ottawa he became friends with future Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
.
In 1890, Willison was appointed editor of the Globe. In 1900, he was elected president of the Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. is the entity which "will take over the operations of the Canadian Press" according to a November 26, 2010 article in the Toronto Star...
Association and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada , may also operate under the more descriptive name RSC: The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada , is the oldest association of scientists and scholars in 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
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. In 1919, his memoir Reminiscences, political and personal was published.
In 1913, he was made a Knight Bachelor
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
.
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