1818-1880, One of
Canada's Founding
Fathers of Confederation.
Brown was born and educated in
Edinburgh, and moved to
Toronto in 1843 (first stopping in
New York). In 1844 he started the Globe, the forerunner of today's
Globe and Mail newspaper. Brown used his paper to support the cause of reform and responsible government. He entered the Canadian Assembly in 1851 and was a proponent of Confederation, playing a major role in the
Charlottetown conference.
In 1880, a disgruntled former employee shot Brown at the Globe's offices. Brown was injured in the leg and eventually died from infection.