George Brown
George Brown, Father of Confederation and champion of the anti-slavery movement.
George Brown was a political activist who fought to ensure that slavery was abolished in North America. During the 1840's and 1850s, Brown used his newspaper The Globe (which became the Globe & Mail) to publish articles and editorials attacking the institution of slavery in the southern United States. As a result of the United States government passing the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, thousands of African Americans fled to Canada. This law allowed slave owners to arrest both runaway Blacks and even free African Americans anywhere in the country with little legal recourse for the accused. In response, Brown became a major force in founding the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada. The Society fought to end slavery in North America while individual members helped freedom-seekers reach Canada via the Underground Railway. As a consequence, the African Canadian community enthusiastically supported his electoral ambitions.
Brown was encouraged in his abolitionist politics by his father, Peter Brown. His sister, Isabella Henning was a founder of the Ladies Society to Aid Fugitive Slaves and her husband, Thomas Henning, was Secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Toronto Plaques. Full page here.