George Sterling Ansel Ryerson (January 21, 1855 – May 20, 1925) was an

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physician, businessman, and political figure. He represented

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in the

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from 1893 to 1898 as a

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and then Conservative-Protestant Protective Association member.

Background

He was born in

on January 21, 1855, the son of George Ryerson and Isabella Dorcas Sterling, and studied in Galt and then at the Trinity Medical School in Toronto, receiving his MD in 1876. He continued his studies in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. In 1880, he set up practice in Toronto and also lectured on eye, ear and throat diseases at Trinity Medical School. Ryerson was also surgeon at the Andrew Mercer Eye and Ear Infirmary. He was surgeon with the Royal Grenadiers (10th battalion), serving during the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (), was an armed rebellion of Métis under Louis Riel and an associated uprising of Cree and Assiniboine mostly in the District of Saskatchewan, against the Government of Canada, Canadian government. Important events i ...

. Ryerson helped found the Association of Medical Officers of the Canadian Militia and served as president from 1908 to 1909. He was later named honorary colonel for the

Canadian Army Medical Corps The Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. History The Militia Medical Service was established in 1898. It consisted of an Army Medical Service (officers) and an Army Medical Corps (othe ...

. Ryerson helped establish the St John Ambulance Association in Ontario and the

Canadian Red Cross The Canadian Red Cross Society ()Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the region after th ...

'' when it was sunk off the Irish coast in May 1915. Laura survived, Mary did not. On June 8, 1916, he remarried to Elizabeth Van Hook Thomas, daughter of Edwin Ross Thomas. Ryerson retired from his medical practice in 1920 and moved to

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York (state), New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the R ...

. Elizabeth died on September 4, 1924. Ryerson died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in Toronto on May 20, 1925.

Politics

He was elected to the legislative assembly in an 1893 by-election and re-elected in

1894 Events January * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United States. * Ja ...

. He did not run in

1898 Events January * January 1 – New York City annexes land from surrounding counties, creating the City of Greater New York as the world's second largest. The city is geographically divided into five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queen ...

due to poor health. In 1896, Ryerson helped establish the United Empire Loyalist Association of Ontario. In

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's ...

, he failed to secure nomination by the Conservative Party when he attempted to run for election in Toronto North.

References

* *
Mary Amelia Ryerson - The Lusitania Resource
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryerson, George Sterling 1855 births 1925 deaths Canadian otolaryngologists Canadian military doctors Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs Protestant Protective Association MPPs 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario