Sir John Stephen Willison, FRSC (November 9, 1856 – May 27, 1927) was a Canadian newspaperman, author, and businessman.

Sir John Stephen Willison
Born(1856-11-09)November 9, 1856
DiedMay 27, 1927(1927-05-27) (aged 70)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Known forEditor of The Globe

Born near Hills Green, Huron County, Canada West, the son of Stephen Willison, a blacksmith, and Jane Abram, Willison left school at the age of 15. After working as an assistant teacher and a clerk, he started working in journalism with the London Advertiser in 1881 and then with the Globe in 1883. In 1886, he reported from the Parliamentary Press Gallery in Ottawa, Ontario. While in Ottawa he became friends with future Prime Minister of Canada Wilfrid Laurier.

In 1890, Willison was appointed editor of the Globe. In 1900, he was elected president of the Canadian Press Association and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 1903, his book Sir Wilfrid Laurier and the Liberal party: a political history was published.

In 1902, he left the Globe and went to work at The Toronto Evening News. In 1908, he was appointed the Canadian correspondent of the British newspaper The Times. In 1919, his memoir Reminiscences, political and personal was published.

In 1913, he was made a Knight Bachelor.

He died in Toronto in 1927.

Further reading edit

References edit

  • "John Stephen Willison". Dictionary of Canadian Biography (online ed.). University of Toronto Press. 1979–2016.

External links edit