John Strachan (April 12, 1778 to November 1, 1867) was a Scottish-born Anglican clergyman, teacher, and political adviser who became the first Anglican bishop of Toronto in 1839. He arrived in York, as Toronto was then called, in June 1812 as rector, and over the next five decades he shaped the town’s church, its schools, and its first university, King’s College, which became the University of Toronto in 1850.
Life in brief
| Born | April 12, 1778, Aberdeen, Scotland |
|---|---|
| Died | November 1, 1867, Toronto |
| Role | Clergyman, schoolmaster, member of the Executive and Legislative Councils of Upper Canada, first bishop of Toronto |
| Toronto connection | Rector of York from 1812, bishop from 1839, founder of Trinity College in 1851; buried at St. James Cathedral |
From Aberdeen to Cornwall
Strachan grew up in a Presbyterian family in Aberdeen and attended Aberdeen Grammar School and King’s College, Aberdeen, on a bursary. After his father died in 1793 he supported himself by teaching, and he graduated in March 1797. He sailed from Greenock on August 26, 1799, and reached Kingston on the last day of that year to take a post as a tutor in the household of Richard Cartwright.
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography records that Strachan joined the Church of England in 1803 under the influence of the Anglican clergyman John Stuart. He was ordained deacon on May 22, 1803, and priest on June 3, 1804. At Cornwall he ran a grammar school that drew the sons of leading families, among them John Beverley Robinson, who later became a central figure in the legal and political life of Upper Canada. The school gained government support after the Grammar School Act of 1807.
Rector of York and the war of 1813
Strachan came to York in June 1812 as rector and as chaplain to the garrison and to the Legislative Council. The United States declared war that month, and he supported the defence of the province. In December 1812 he helped found the Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada, which raised money for soldiers and their families.
During the American attack on York in April 1813, Strachan took part in the talks that led to the surrender of the town. The Canadian Encyclopedia reports that he later pressed the American commander, Commodore Isaac Chauncey, over looting and secured the return of some stolen property. For the military side of the story, see the article on Fort York and the Battle of York.
Councils and the Family Compact
Strachan became an honorary member of the Executive Council in September 1815 and a regular member from 1817 until he resigned effective January 1, 1836. He sat in the Legislative Council from 1820 until the union of the Canadas in 1841.
Critics used the name Family Compact for the small circle of office holders around the governor, and Strachan was one of its most visible members. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography calls him “the Canadian arch tory of his era” and notes that William Lyon Mackenzie attacked the group in print. The label came from opponents of the group and was not the name of a formal body.
Schools and the university question
Strachan argued for a university, grammar schools, and common schools as early as his 1815 reports, helped draft the Common School Act of 1816, and presided over the General Board of Education from 1823 until it was abolished in 1833. His plan placed education under the Church of England, which provoked opposition from Methodists and from Reform politicians.
A royal charter for the University of King’s College was granted in March 1827, with Strachan as president. The charter was amended in 1837 to reduce church control, and the college opened on June 8, 1843. Under legislation introduced by the Baldwin and La Fontaine ministry, King’s College became a secular institution and was renamed the University of Toronto on January 1, 1850. Strachan then raised funds in England for a church university, Trinity College, and laid its cornerstone on April 30, 1851. Classes began in January 1852.
The clergy reserves, public land set aside to support the Protestant clergy, were a second long dispute. Strachan helped set up the Upper Canada Clergy Corporation in 1819 to manage them. The legislature secularized the reserves in 1854, and Strachan afterward persuaded clergy to commute their stipends into a fund run by the Church Society, which he had founded in 1842.
Bishop of Toronto
Strachan was appointed bishop of Toronto in 1839, without a stipend, and was enthroned in the rebuilt St. James Church after a fire in January 1839. That building burned again in April 1849. During the cholera outbreaks of 1832 and 1834 he took part in relief work in the town. The diocese was divided in 1857, when Huron was created, and again in 1861, when Ontario was created. John Strachan died in Toronto on November 1, 1867, and a plaque in the chancel floor of St. James Cathedral marks his burial vault.
Timeline
- 1778: born in Aberdeen.
- 1799: arrives in Upper Canada (Kingston).
- 1803 and 1804: ordained deacon and priest.
- 1812: becomes rector of York.
- 1827: royal charter for King’s College.
- 1839: becomes bishop of Toronto.
- 1850: King’s College becomes the University of Toronto.
- 1851: cornerstone of Trinity College laid.
- 1867: dies in Toronto.
Where sources differ
The Canadian Encyclopedia dates Strachan’s appointment to the Executive Council to 1813, while the Dictionary of Canadian Biography gives September 1815 for an honorary seat and 1817 for a regular one. This article follows the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Assessments of his character also differ. The same Dictionary entry credits him with building the Church of England into a lasting Canadian institution and describes a combative temperament.
Frequently asked questions
Who was John Strachan?
John Strachan was a Scottish-born Anglican clergyman and teacher who moved to York in 1812, sat on the Executive and Legislative Councils of Upper Canada, and became the first bishop of Toronto in 1839.
What did John Strachan do during the War of 1812?
He supported the war effort, helped found the Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada in December 1812, and took part in the surrender negotiations after the American attack on York in April 1813, according to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
Did John Strachan found the University of Toronto?
Not in its present form. He obtained the royal charter of King’s College in 1827 and served as its president. That college became the secular University of Toronto in 1850, after which Strachan founded Trinity College as a church institution.
Why was John Strachan controversial?
He tied education to the Church of England and defended the clergy reserves, which Methodists and Reform politicians opposed. William Lyon Mackenzie and Egerton Ryerson were among those who criticized his positions in print.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography, STRACHAN, JOHN (G. M. Craig), vol. 9
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, article on John Strachan
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry for John Strachan
Related reading
- Egerton Ryerson, who answered Strachan’s 1826 sermon
- History of the University of Toronto
- Fort York and the Battle of York
- John Beverley Robinson, Strachan’s former pupil
- People of Toronto history
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). John Strachan: Teacher, Rector of York and First Bishop. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/john-strachan
MLA: “John Strachan: Teacher, Rector of York and First Bishop.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/john-strachan. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “John Strachan: Teacher, Rector of York and First Bishop.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/john-strachan.
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