William Lyon Mackenzie, taken between 1851 and 1861. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada.
Samuel Peters Jarvis, 1850. Courtesy of the Toronto Public Library Archives.
'Proclamation' by William Lyon Mackenzie, 1837, Courtesy of Toronto Public Library Archives
William Lyon Mackenzie
Along with his involvement in politics, Mackenzie printed his own paper, The Colonial Advocate. His original offices were on the corner of Front and Fredrick Streets, which became the site of the Types Riot. Mackenzie, furious about the handling of the duel between John Ridout and Samuel Jarvis (in which Ridout was killed), called Jarvis, who served as the Chief Superintendent of Indian Affairs from 1837 to 1845, a murderer in his paper.
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Samuel Jarvis
Jarvis grew tired of Mackenzie’s slander, and gathered his friends to destroy the printing offices. Jarvis faced no charges, due to his connections to the Family Compact, a group of wealthy British loyalists with a stronghold over politics. Mackenzie used the incident to stir up support against the Family Compact.
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Rebellion of 1837
Mackenzie became the first mayor of Toronto, and was a prominent reformer. After his time in office, he led a rebellion against the dominant Family Compact. The Rebellion of 1837 was quickly shut down, though Mackenzie’s ideas were later adopted by the colonial government.
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Types Riot
Politics in early Toronto were often tumultuous, and other future and former Toronto mayors were also involved in acts of violence. Henry Sherwood, another one of Toronto’s former mayors, participated in the Types Riot along with Jarvis. John Powell, a member of the Family Compact, shot a rebel who held him captive during the 1837 Rebellion. Learn more about Toronto’s earliest days in the “Toronto vs. Everyone” episode of the Secret Life of Canada podcast.
