Jesse Edgar Middleton

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Jesse Edgar Middleton
Jesse Edgar Middleton.png
Born(1872-11-03)November 3, 1872
Wellington County, Ontario
DiedMay 27, 1960(1960-05-27) (aged 87)
Toronto, Ontario
OccupationHistorian, journalist
NationalityCanadian
Period20th century
GenreHistory
Spouse
Bessie A. Jackson
​
(m. 1899)​

Jesse Edgar Middleton (November 3, 1872 – May 27, 1960) was a Canadian journalist, historian and songwriter.

Biography[]

Middleton was born in Pilkington, Ontario, the son of Margaret Agar and Rev. Eli Middleton, a Methodist minister. He attended Dutton High School and Strathroy Collegiate. He then taught school for three years, and was a proofreader in Cleveland, Ohio for three years. In 1899 he married Bessie A. Jackson and together they raised one son. They moved to Toronto in the early 1900s.[1]

For most of his career, he worked as a journalist and as a special writer for Toronto newspapers. He became a music critic for the Mail and Empire, and in 1904 joined The News, where he wrote a column, "On the Side."[2] He led the choir at Centennial Methodist Church, and sang in Toronto's Mendelssohn Choir. In 1926 he composed the English lyrics to a traditional Canadian Christmas hymn, the Huron Carol.[3]

Aside from one volume of poetry and two novels, his main writing contribution was a lengthy historical account of Toronto and its local environs, The Municipality of Toronto (3 volumes). He also wrote a history of the province, The Province of Ontario: a History (4 volumes).[4]

He died in Toronto in 1960 and was buried in Fort Macleod, Alberta.[4]

Works[]

  • Sea Dogs And Men At Arms, (1918)
  • Huron Carol: The First Canadian Christmas Carol, (1927)
  • Province of Ontario: A History 1615 to 1927 (1927) with Fred Landon
  • The Romance Of Ontario, (1931)
  • Green Plush, (1932)
  • Toronto's 100 Years (1934)
  • National Encyclopedia Of Canadian Biography [co-edited], (1935)
  • The Clever Ones, (1936)
  • William Tyrell Of Weston, (1937) [with Edith Morrison]
  • Canadian Landscape, (1944) [with F. H. Brigden]
  • Green Fields Afar, (1947) [with Clara Middleton][5]

References[]

  1. ^ Stulken, Marilyn Kay (1981). Hymnal Companion to the Lutheran Book of Worship. Philadelphia: Fortress Press. p. 175.
  2. ^ Garvin, John. "J. Edgar Middleton". A Celebration of Women Writers.
  3. ^ "Jesse Edgar Middleton". Hymnary.org.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b McKay, William Angus, ed. (1978). Macmillan Dictionary of Canadian Biography (4 ed.). London, England: Macmillan Publishers. p. 576.
  5. ^ "Jesse Edgar Middleton". Author and Book Info.
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