George Gurnett

George Gurnett, born in Sussex, England in 1792, was a prominent Canadian journalist and politician who played a significant role in the early development of Toronto. Emigrating to Virginia in the 1820s, he eventually settled in Ancaster, Upper Canada, where he established his first local newspaper, The Gore Gazette. In 1829, he moved to York, later known as Toronto, and founded The Courier of Upper Canada, a Tory publication that he sold in 1837.

With the incorporation of York as the city of Toronto in May 1834, Gurnett was elected to the city council representing St. George's Ward. Over his seventeen years on the council, he served as mayor four times, in the years 1837, 1848, 1849, and 1850. His extensive service and leadership have earned him recognition as one of the founders of Toronto.

During his tenure, Gurnett held various influential positions, including the city's first Tory mayor, magistrate of the Home District, and district clerk of the peace. He was actively involved in committees focused on the harbour, gas and waterworks, and education. Notably, he chaired the board of health during the devastating typhus epidemic of 1847.

In 1850, Gurnett resigned from the city council after being appointed the first police magistrate of Toronto, a position he held until his death in 1861. His personal life saw tragedy as well; his first wife passed away in 1835, and he later married Catherine Darby in 1841. Together, they had eight children, six of whom sadly died in infancy.