George Sylvester Tiffany
Encyclopedia
George Sylvester Tiffany (1805–1856) was a Canadian
lawyer and politician. He was born in 1805 at Ancaster, Upper Canada
. He married Eliza Anne Strange, and they had one son and four daughters. He was mayor of Hamilton, Ontario
in 1848 and died in 1856. He is buried at St. John's Anglican Churchyard in Ancaster.
The Tiffany family was prominent in Ancaster. His father George was a lawyer, his uncle Oliver a physician, and his uncles Sylvester and Gideon were the publishers of the Upper Canada Gazette from 1794 to 1798 and the Canada Constellation, the first independent newspaper in Upper Canada
, from 1799 to 1800. Tiffany was educated at Dartmouth College
, New Hampshire
, prior to opening a large practice in Hamilton on Hughson Street S. In 1845 he became a director of the Great Western Railway
, whose president was Sir Allan MacNab
. He borrowed heavily from his uncle Oliver's estate to finance speculation in real estate related to the railway line and, along with MacNab, profited by buying land along the waterfront where the Great Western yards were established. Tiffany Street, named after him, is located in this area. He was also a stockholder in the London and Gore Railway.
Tiffany participated in the community in several capacities. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the 3rd Regiment of Gore Militia 13 December 1838. Tiffany was a Reformer and took prominent role in an 1839 meeting of Hamilton Reformers that recommended more self-government for the colony. In 1843 he was a member of the board of examiners appointed by Hamilton's board of police to find suitable teachers and temporary schoolhouses in the town's five common school districts, in accordance with the requirement of the Common School Act of 1843. Tiffany served as mayor of Hamilton in 1848, and in 1855 was a trustee of a corporation which tried unsuccessfully to establish a college in Hamilton. An Anglican, he was at first a pew-holder in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church but left it in 1837 after the construction of Christ's Church, the first Anglican place of worship in Hamilton.
A freemason, he became affiliated with Barton Lodge
9 September 1846.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
lawyer and politician. He was born in 1805 at Ancaster, Upper Canada
Ancaster, Ontario
Ancaster is a picturesque and historic community located on the Niagara escarpment, within the greater area of the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. This former town was founded officially in 1793 and was one of the oldest European communities established in present day Ontario along with Windsor...
. He married Eliza Anne Strange, and they had one son and four daughters. He was mayor of Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
in 1848 and died in 1856. He is buried at St. John's Anglican Churchyard in Ancaster.
The Tiffany family was prominent in Ancaster. His father George was a lawyer, his uncle Oliver a physician, and his uncles Sylvester and Gideon were the publishers of the Upper Canada Gazette from 1794 to 1798 and the Canada Constellation, the first independent newspaper in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, from 1799 to 1800. Tiffany was educated at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, prior to opening a large practice in Hamilton on Hughson Street S. In 1845 he became a director of the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
, whose president was Sir Allan MacNab
Allan MacNab
Sir Allan Napier MacNab, 1st Baronet was a Canadian political leader and Premier of the Province of Canada before Canadian Confederation .-Biography:...
. He borrowed heavily from his uncle Oliver's estate to finance speculation in real estate related to the railway line and, along with MacNab, profited by buying land along the waterfront where the Great Western yards were established. Tiffany Street, named after him, is located in this area. He was also a stockholder in the London and Gore Railway.
Tiffany participated in the community in several capacities. He was commissioned a lieutenant in the 3rd Regiment of Gore Militia 13 December 1838. Tiffany was a Reformer and took prominent role in an 1839 meeting of Hamilton Reformers that recommended more self-government for the colony. In 1843 he was a member of the board of examiners appointed by Hamilton's board of police to find suitable teachers and temporary schoolhouses in the town's five common school districts, in accordance with the requirement of the Common School Act of 1843. Tiffany served as mayor of Hamilton in 1848, and in 1855 was a trustee of a corporation which tried unsuccessfully to establish a college in Hamilton. An Anglican, he was at first a pew-holder in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church but left it in 1837 after the construction of Christ's Church, the first Anglican place of worship in Hamilton.
A freemason, he became affiliated with Barton Lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
9 September 1846.