George Littleton Allen (1811-1882) was
High Constable of Toronto from 1847 to 1852 and Governor of the Toronto Jail from 1852 to 1872.
Allen was born to a Protestant family in
Sligo
Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, United Kingdom, and emigrated to New York at the age of 15 before moving to Toronto. He was appointed High Constable or
Chief Constable of the
Toronto Police Department by the city in 1847 and served in that position for five years until 1852 when he was appointed
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of the Toronto Jail and was the first governor of the
Don Jail when it opened in 1864, taking up residence in the jail's administrative wing.
References
Toronto police chiefs
Canadian prison officials
Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario
Irish Protestants
1811 births
1882 deaths
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