George S. Henry
Plot R, Lot 41
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Born in King Township on July 17, 1871, Henry attended public school in Toronto as well as the old Upper Canada College when it was on King Street, just across the street from today’s Roy Thompson Hall. After graduation from UCC he went to the University of Toronto, then on to the Ontario Agricultural College. With his interests in Holstein cattle, he was one of the founders of Farmers’ Dairy and, later, a director of Acme Farmers Dairy. Politically, Henry was on the York County council from 1903 to 1910 and reeve of York, 1907 to 1910. He also sat on the boards of the Toronto and York Roads Commission, and the Niagara Parks Commission. In 1913, Henry tried his hand at provincial politics being elected MPP for East York that year. Over the next two decades he held numerous important positions including minister of agriculture and minister of public works and highways. With the resignation of Premier Ferguson (Plot 4, Lot 1) in late 1930, Henry was appointed premier of the province of Ontario, a post he held until his resignation in July, 1934. While premier, he also held the posts of provincial treasurer and minister of education. Henry remained as MPP for East York until 1943.
On his death on September 2, 1958, George S. Henry was living on the ancestral Henry Farm (now a housing development just north of today’s Highway 401– Leslie Street interchange) that had been settled by Henry’s Irish ancestors — led by his great-grandfather Henry Mulholland, in 1806. Also listed on the Henry memorial is the name Robert Henry. He was George S. Henry’s father who was drowned in the cold waters of Lake Superior escaping the steamer Manitoulin that caught fire early in the morning of May 18, 1882. In total, some twenty-five people were killed in that tragedy. The future 10th premier of Ontario was five at the time.
Mike Filey
Mount Pleasant Cemetery: An Illustrated Guide
Second Edition Revised and Expanded