John Graves Simcoe

John Graves Simcoe
Portrait by George Theodore Berthon
1st Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada
In office 1791–1796
Monarch	George III
Governor General	Gen. Sir Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester
Premier	William Pitt the Younger
Preceded by	None
Succeeded by	Peter Russell
Personal details
Born	(1752-02-25)25 February 1752 Cotterstock, Oundle, England
Died	26 October 1806(1806-10-26) (aged 54) Exeter, England
Spouse	Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim ​ ​ (m. 1782)​
Children	11
Parent(s)	Captain John Simcoe Katherine Simcoe
Education	Exeter School, Eton College, Merton College, Oxford
Occupation	Military officer, Colonial administrator
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1770–1806
Rank	Lieutenant-General
Unit	35th Regiment of Foot 40th Regiment of Foot
Commands	Queen's Rangers 22nd Regiment of Foot Commander-in-Chief, India
Battles/wars	American War of Independence Siege of Boston New York and New Jersey campaign Philadelphia campaign Battle of Monmouth Battle of Crooked Billet Battle of Quinton's Bridge Battle of Brandywine Yorktown campaign Raid on Richmond Battle of Spencer's Ordinary Siege of Yorktown Haitian Revolution

John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded York, which is now known as Toronto, and was instrumental in introducing institutions such as courts of law, trial by jury, English common law, freehold land tenure, and also in the abolition of slavery in Upper Canada.

His long-term goal was the development of Upper Canada (Ontario) as a model community built on aristocratic and conservative principles, designed to demonstrate the superiority of those principles to the republicanism of the United States. His energetic efforts were only partially successful in establishing a local gentry, a thriving Church of England, and an anti-American coalition with select indigenous nations. He is seen by many Canadians as a founding figure in Canadian history, especially by those in Southern Ontario.^[1] He is commemorated in Toronto with Simcoe Day.