Herbert L. Rous
Plot U, Lot 208
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Born on September 9, 1879 in Belleville, Ontario, Rous attended the local public and high school, leaving before graduation so he could embark on a printing career. He joined The Belleville Intelligencer newspaper which was owned by Mackenzie (later Sir) Bowell. Bowell went on to become Canada’s fifth prime minister, serving from 1894 to 1896. After five years in the newspaper business, Rous came to Toronto where he was employed by several printers before joining the Southam Press. Here he met Frederick Mann, and in 1909 the two struck out on their own establishing Rous and Mann Limited (later Rous and Mann Press Limited). The partners’ new printing company was the first in Canada to establish and maintain a full-time art department, employing artists who have become internationally famous: Tom Thomson; Stanley Turner; F. H. Varley; Frank Carmichael; and Alfred Casson. The last three are best-known as members of Canada’s Group of Seven. Rous and Mann Press Limited soon became one of the most respected quality printing houses in the country. During the First World War, Rous served as a captain with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces overseas. He was also a director and president of the Ontario College of Art, the Poppy Fund of Toronto, and a Trustee of the Toronto General Burying Grounds (now Mount Pleasant Group of Cemeteries) from 1944 until his death, which occurred on December 1, 1964.
Mike Filey
Mount Pleasant Cemetery: An Illustrated Guide
Second Edition Revised and Expanded