John Jacob Withrow (1833 – August 5, 1900) was a Toronto businessman and politician. He proposed the first edition of the

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual fair that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Labour Day (Canada), ...

and organised the annual event for several years. Withrow was born in

York, Upper Canada York was a town and the second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the Old Toronto, old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location fo ...

, and opened a construction business. In 1873, he was elected as

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

for the

Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...

. He tried to convince the Provincial Fair Association to permanently establish their annual fair in Toronto. When they refused, he established an annual fair in Toronto, which later became the

. He twice ran, unsuccessfully, to become

mayor of Toronto The mayor of Toronto is the head of Toronto City Council and chief executive officer of the Municipal government of Toronto, municipal government. The mayor is elected alongside city council every four years on the fourth Monday of October; t ...

. After leaving city council, he sat on the board of various businesses and philanthropic organisations. He declared bankruptcy after losing his investments in a depression in the 1890s. He died in Toronto after suffering from a stroke.

Early life

Withrow was born in 1833 in York, Upper Canada (later named

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 ...

). His parents were James Withrow and Ellen Sanderson. The Withrows originated from Orange County,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and likely fled to Rawdon, Hants, Nova Scotia after the American Revolution (great uncle David Alder Withrow was one three brothers to have received land grants in Nova Scotia in 1784). He achieved his schooling at Toronto Academy, worked at an architect's office, and worked as a contractor for McBean and Withrow, his father's building firm. He then toured the northern United States to observe architecture trends in the region, and in the late 1850s he returned to Toronto and worked as a carpenter. In the late 1860s, he partnered with John Hillock to form a contractor and lumber merchant business called Withrow and Hillock.

Political career and permanent fair

In 1873 Withrow was elected as

for St David's Ward in the

. The following year, he was elected in St Thomas's Ward as alderman, and would be reelected for in the subsequent three years. As alderman, he focused on bringing the annual provincial exhibition to Toronto every year, as before the exhibition had been held in various cities across the province. He led the city's exhibition committee when they enlarged the city's exhibition grounds and built permanent buildings. The Provincial Fair Association, the body that decided where the provincial exhibition was to be located, announced that the 1879 edition would take place in Ottawa, much to the chagrin of Withrow. At the closing banquet of the 1878 fair, Withrow announced that Toronto would host a permanent exhibition the subsequent year. Withrow did not consult the city or any other person before making this announcement. Withrow chaired the Industrial Exhibition Association of Toronto, the body that would organise the permanent fair in Toronto in the fall of 1879. The fair was successful and continued for subsequent years as the

, with Withrow remaining chair of the association until his death. In 1882, Withrow joined with other prominent Methodist businessmen to form Saskatchewan Land and Homestead Company Limited, a company that promoted the settlement of the territories north and west of Ontario. Withrow was the company's first president and remained in the position until his death. He was also the head of the board for a public bath built on the

Toronto Islands The Toronto Islands are a chain of 15 small islands in Lake Ontario, south of mainland Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the only group of islands in the western part of Lake Ontario, the Toronto Islands are located just offshore from the ...

called Wiman Bath.

Mayoral campaigns

Withrow was nominated to become mayor of Toronto in 1883. During the campaign, he was criticised by the trade union movement for his treatment of his employees and for intervening in the 1872 printers' strike. He lost the election to

Arthur Radcliffe Boswell Arthur Radcliffe Boswell (3 January 1838 – 16 May 1925) was a Canadians, Canadian lawyer and politician, including as Mayor of Toronto. Early life and education Boswell was born in Cobourg, Upper Canada, on 3 January 1838. His father was Ge ...

by five votes. In 1885 he ran again to become mayor, but was defeated by the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

candidate Alexander Henderson Manning.

Business career and philanthropy

In 1883, Withrow built a home on

Hanlan's Point Hanlan's Point Beach is a nude beach on The Island just offshore from downtown Toronto, Ontario. It stretches for 2 km along the western shoreline of Hanlan’s Point, facing the open waters of Lake Ontario. Recognized by the City of Toronto as ...

on the Toronto islands called the Lakeside Home for Little Children, which was used by Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children as a summer home. Withrow was also a trustee of the home. He also supervised the construction of a new Hospital for Sick Children in the late 1880s and fundraised for the project. Withrow supplied the doors and

sashes A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the human body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else encircling the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, ...

for the construction of

Massey Hall Massey Hall is a performing arts auditorium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Although original ...

and completed the carpentry work. During his lifetime he was the only member of the Massey Hall board who was not a member of the Massey family. Withrow was the president of a loan society called the Canadian Mutual Loan and Investment Company. A depression in the 1890s caused Withrow to declare bankruptcy in 1894 as their investments in property declined. In 1895 he was appointed as the chief assessor for Toronto.

Personal life

Withrow married Margaret Foster and they had two daughters and three sons. Withrow was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

. Withrow died on August 5, 1900, in Toronto of a stroke. Withrow Park in Toronto, created in 1910, was named for Withrow.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Withrow, John Jacob 1833 births 1900 deaths People from York, Upper Canada Date of death missing Toronto city councillors 19th-century Canadian municipal councillors