BROWN, GEORGE (1818-1880), Canadian journalist and statesman, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Nov. 29, • 1818, and was educated in his native city. With his father, Peter Brown (d. 1863) , he emigrated to New York in 1838; and in 1843 they removed to Toronto and began the publication of The Banner, a politico-religious paper in support of the newly formed Free Church of Scotland. In 1844 he began, independently of his father, the issue of the Toronto Globe. This paper, at first weekly, be came in 1853 a daily, and through the ability and energy of Brown came to possess an almost tyrannical influence over the political opinion of Ontario. In 1851 he entered the Canadian parliament as member for Kent county. Brown's repeated violent attacks upon the Roman Catholic Church and on the supposed domination in parliament of the French Canadian section made him very unpopular in lower Canada, but in upper Canada his power was great. Largely owing to his attacks, the clergy reserves were secularized in 1854. He championed the complete laicization of the schools in Ontario, but unsuccessfully, the Roman Catholic Church maintaining its right to separate schools. He also fought for the representation by population of the two provinces in parliament, the Act of Union (1841) having granted an equal number of representatives to each. This principle of "rep. by pop." was conceded by the British North America act (1867).
He was one of the earliest advocates of a federation of the British colonies in North America, and in 1864, to accomplish this end, entered into a coalition with his bitter personal and political opponent, Mr. (afterwards Sir) John A. Macdonald. Largely owing to Brown's efforts, Federation was carried through the House, but on Dec. 21 1865, he resigned from the Coalition government, though continuing to support its Federation policy, and in 1867 he was defeated in south Ontario and never again sat in the House. In great measure owing to his remarkable energy, the north-west territories were purchased by the new dominion.
In Dec. 1873 he was called to the Canadian senate, and in 1874 was appointed by the imperial government joint plenipotentiary with Sir Edward Thornton to negotiate a reciprocity treaty be tween Canada and the United States. The negotiations were successful, but the draft treaty failed to pass the United States Senate. Soon afterwards Brown refused the lieutenant-governor ship of Ontario, and on two subsequent occasions the offer of knighthood, devoting himself to the Globe. On March 25 1880, he was shot by a discharged employee and died on May 9.
See J. C. Dent, Canadian Portrait Gallery (Toronto, 188o) . The official Life, by the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie, is decidedly partisan. A life by John Lewis is included in the Makers of Canada series (Toronto) . (W. L. G.)