Strachan, John

▪ British clergyman

born April 12, 1778, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scot.

died Nov. 1, 1867, Toronto

      educator and clergyman who, as the first Anglican bishop of Toronto, was responsible for organizing the church in Canada as a self-governing denomination within the Anglican community.

      Strachan emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1799. After teaching school in Kingston, he was ordained in 1803 and appointed curate at Cornwall and then rector of York (now Toronto). He served on the Executive Council of Upper Canada (Ontario), and in 1820 he was appointed to the Legislative Council and became part of the ruling Tory oligarchy. He became archdeacon of York in 1825 and organized the establishment of the University of Toronto in 1827.

      Strachan worked to maintain a privileged position for the Church of England in Canada. Adverse criticism led him to resign from the Executive Council. In 1839 he became first bishop of the newly created diocese of Toronto, and he managed to double the number of churches and to establish many schools there. He became president of Kings College in 1843, and, after Kings College was secularized (1849), he established the University of Trinity College in 1851. Strachan created the Anglican synod of clergy and laity in the British colonial empire in 1851. His political power diminished after the granting of responsible government to the colony in 1849.

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