The Toronto Telegram, known as the Evening Telegram and nicknamed the Tely, was a daily afternoon newspaper in Toronto that published from April 18, 1876, until October 30, 1971, a run of 95 years. John Ross Robertson founded it, and John W. H. Bassett, its publisher and part owner since 1952, closed it after falling circulation and a lack of advertising.
For most of its life the Telegram competed with the Toronto Star for the city’s afternoon readers. The Star overtook it in circulation in 1932, and the Telegram never regained the lead. Two days after the Telegram closed, a new tabloid, the Toronto Sun, appeared with many of its former staff.
Founding in 1876
According to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Robertson had worked for the Globe and had co-owned the Daily Telegraph, a paper that ceased publication in 1872. Goldwin Smith, a contributor to the Canada First journal the Nation, gave Robertson $10,000 to start a new paper “for the masses and not the classes.” The first issue of the Evening Telegram appeared on April 18, 1876. Wikipedia, citing a history of the Globe and Mail and a history of the Toronto Daily Star, puts the first run at about 3,800 copies.
The name was meant to signal how fresh the news was. The first editor, John Charles Dent, soon left, and later editors included Alexander Fraser Pirie and, from 1888, John Robinson Robinson. Robertson promised that the paper would be independent, with “no patron but the public,” but the Dictionary of Canadian Biography notes that he soon fell out with Smith by backing the Conservatives in the 1878 election campaign.
How the Telegram won readers
Robertson priced the paper to sell. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography records that the price fell to one penny 14 months after the launch, and that want ads were cut to one cent a word, half the going rate. By the early 1880s the Telegram had the largest circulation in Toronto.
The paper concentrated on local news, civic crusades, and short human-interest items, and it was known for sensational coverage. Its office on Melinda Street drew crowds who came to read the wants columns. On election nights it projected returns for crowds the Dictionary puts at up to 10,000, and it was regarded as able to make or break civic politicians. Robertson kept the paper non-union until 1891, when its printers unionized.
Politics and causes
The Telegram was Conservative in outlook. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography describes it as a strong supporter of the Orange order, the British Empire, and Canadian nationalism, and as anti-American, anti-Quebec, and anticlerical. It backed mayoral candidates such as Robert John Fleming and campaigned for public ownership of hydro power.
After Robertson: trust, sale, and Bassett
Robertson died in Toronto on May 31, 1918. His estate was about $1,750,000, and his will set up an endowment fund for the Hospital for Sick Children based on the Telegram’s profits. After his death ownership passed to a trust.
The later ownership story comes from archival descriptions and secondary accounts. York University’s archival description says the paper was sold in 1948 to George McCullagh, owner of the Globe and Mail, who invited Bassett to act as publisher. Wikipedia, citing the same two histories, gives the price as $3.6 million and says Robertson’s widow had died in 1947. It also says that after McCullagh’s death Bassett acquired the paper in 1952 with financing from the Eaton family. A separate biography of Bassett confirms that he bought part ownership that year. The Telegram published a Sunday edition for a short time: it began in March 1957 and was dropped after four months.
Closure on October 30, 1971
Bassett announced the closure in September 1971, and the last issue came out on October 30, 1971. York University’s archives give the cause as falling circulation and lack of advertising, and other accounts add mounting financial losses. The Toronto Sun began on November 1, 1971, and the Sun article on this site describes how former Telegram staff and some of its assets made that possible.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1872 | Daily Telegraph, co-owned by Robertson, ceases publication |
| April 18, 1876 | First issue of the Evening Telegram |
| 1891 | Printers at the paper unionize |
| May 31, 1918 | Robertson dies; ownership passes to a trust |
| 1932 | Toronto Star overtakes the Telegram in circulation |
| 1948 | Sold to George McCullagh of the Globe and Mail |
| 1952 | John W. H. Bassett acquires the paper |
| March 1957 | Sunday edition begins; dropped after four months |
| October 30, 1971 | Last issue |
Where to find the Telegram today
The paper’s own records are held by the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections at York University, which keeps the Toronto Telegram fonds covering 1876 to 1971, including a personality index, negatives, scrapbooks, and clippings. Toronto Public Library and the City of Toronto Archives are the usual starting points for the city’s newspaper holdings. Access rules and holdings change, so the catalogues of those institutions are the place to check. For a wider guide to newspaper research, see the archives article linked below.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Toronto Telegram close?
The last issue appeared on October 30, 1971. John W. H. Bassett, who had owned the paper since 1952, closed it, and the Toronto Sun started two days later.
Who founded the Toronto Telegram?
John Ross Robertson founded it, with a $10,000 gift from Goldwin Smith, according to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. The first issue was dated April 18, 1876.
Why did the Toronto Telegram shut down?
York University’s archives name falling circulation and lack of advertising as the cause. Other accounts add mounting losses. No source read for this page gives a single decisive event.
Is the Toronto Telegram related to the Toronto Sun?
The Sun is a separate company, but former Telegram staff started it within days of the closure. The Sun article on this site covers that history.
Related reading
- John Ross Robertson, founder of the Evening Telegram
- How the Toronto Sun began after the Telegram closed
- The Toronto Star, the Telegram’s long-time rival
- The Hospital for Sick Children, named in Robertson’s will
- Toronto’s historical newspapers and where to research them
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “ROBERTSON, JOHN ROSS”
- York University, Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections, Toronto Telegram fonds
- Wikipedia, “Toronto Telegram” and “John W. H. Bassett,” for the 1948 and 1952 ownership details and the 1957 Sunday edition, with the histories they cite
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry for John Ross Robertson
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Toronto Telegram: history of the Tely, 1876 to 1971. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-telegram-history
MLA: “Toronto Telegram: history of the Tely, 1876 to 1971.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-telegram-history. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Toronto Telegram: history of the Tely, 1876 to 1971.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/toronto-telegram-history.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.