Thomas David Morrison

Life & Legacy

Thomas David Morrison (c. 1796 – March 19, 1856) was a medical doctor and political figure in Upper Canada. He was born in Quebec City around 1796 and worked as a clerk in the medical department of the British Army during the War of 1812. He studied medicine in the United States and returned to York in 1824 to become a doctor in Upper Canada. He treated patients and served on the Toronto Board of Health during the 1832 and 1834 cholera outbreaks and co-founded the York Dispensary. In 1834 he was elected to the 12th Parliament of Upper Canada, representing the third riding of York County as part of the reform movement. That same year he was elected as an alderman to the Toronto City Council and reelected the subsequent two years. In 1836, he served a term as mayor of Toronto.
Morrison had been an early supporter of the reform movement in Upper Canada and participated in meetings to encourage political change. He spoke repeatedly against armed rebellion and encouraged William Lyon Mackenzie to continue soliciting support for his reforms. He did not participate in the Upper Canada Rebellion and remained in his home instead. Nevertheless, he was arrested and charged with treason for planning and executing the rebellion and found not guilty at a subsequent trial. Fearing additional charges, Morrison fled to the United States and resumed practicing medicine. When amnesty was granted to most participants of the rebellion in 1843, he returned to Toronto to continue his medical practice and serve on various boards of medicine. He died on March 19, 1856, of palsy in Toronto.