Henry Sherwood
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- This article is about the Canadian politician. For the Pennsylvania Congressman, see Henry Sherwood (congressman).
Henry Sherwood (1807 - July 7, 1855) was a lawyer and Tory provincial politician, moved to municipal politics and was alderman of St. David's Ward when chosen as Toronto's 7th mayor from 1842 to 1844.
In 1836, he was elected to the 13th Parliament of Upper Canada representing the town of Brockville. In 1843, he was elected to the 1st Parliament of the Province of Canada representing Toronto. From May 28, 1847 to March 11, 1848, Sherwood served as Joint Premier of the Province of Canada for Canada West along with his counterpart Denis-Benjamin Papineau who represented Canada East.
When responsible government was granted to Upper Canada (which then became Canada West), Sherwood ran with Mayor George Monro on a Tory ticket but was defeated in March 1841 by Reformers despite having the full backing of the Orange Order and establishment. A riot ensued the next day when a victory parade by the Reformers was attached by Orangemen carrying knives, sticks and firearms. The Orangemen were based at the Coleraine Tavern and had been brought in from Scarborough, Ontario by the tavern's owner, Samuel Sherwood, who happened to be Henry's brother. One man was killed by a shot fired from the tavern. Charles Dickens, visiting Toronto at the time, observed:
- One man was killed on the same occasion and from the very window whence he received his death, the very flag which shielded his murderer (not only in the commission of his crime, but from its consequences), was displayed again on the occasion of the public ceremony performed by the Governor General, to which I have just adverted. Of all the colours in the rainbow, there is but one which could be so employed: I need not say that the flag was orange.[1]
Sherwood, nevertheless, succeeded Monro as Mayor. He stayed very active in national politics while mayor. He became the Solicitor-General of Canada in the summer of 1842 and again during his second term as mayor.
He was a successful mayor. Credit belongs to the committees, but he was the mayor that oversaw the regulation of the market, paving the streets and collecting taxes. In 1842, 94 gas lights illuminated King and Yonge Streets and a waterworks was underway.
Mayor Sherwood saw that the Town Hall was too small for the growing civic government and the plans were drawn for Toronto's first municipal offices. Construction began on the new City Hall (now St. Lawrence Hall) in the summer of 1844 at Jarvis and Front Streets.
Sherwood sat on city council after his final mayoralty term until 1849 then continued on with provincial politics for a few more years. He suffered from ill health later in life and died in Bavaria in 1855 while travelling in Europe.
[edit] References
Mayors of Toronto, Volume 1, 1834-1899 by Victor Loring Russell ©1982 Published by: The Boston Mills Press
Used with permission
[edit] External links
| Preceded by: William Henry Draper |
Joint Premiers of the Province of Canada - Canada West 1847–1848 |
Succeeded by: Robert Baldwin |
| Preceded by: George Monro 1841 |
Mayor of Toronto 1842-44 |
Succeeded by: William H. Boulton 1845-7 |
