James Scott Howard

James Scott Howard (September 2, 1798 – March 1, 1866) was a public servant in Canada West. He served as postmaster in the Town of York and later was the first postmaster in the newly formed City of Toronto government. He lost his position during the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837.

Biography

Early and personal life Howard was born on September 2, 1798, to John Howard and Mary Scot in Bandon, County Cork in what is now the Republic of Ireland. At 21, he left Ireland in 1819 and briefly settled in Fredericton, New Brunswick. There, he met and married Salome McLean, becoming the son-in-law of Archibald McLean. Together, James and Salome would have three children. a "plum position" in a colonial capital. His annual salary in the position of Postmaster was 713 pounds. He reported to Thomas Stayner, the Deputy Postmaster General for British North America stationed in Quebec City. The postmaster of York was the unofficial Deputy Postmaster General for Upper Canada, the most important postal official in the colony. To the residents of York, being a British and very Anglican town, having an Irish Methodist in this position caused him to be viewed with wariness by some. Howard moved his family north to an area close to Yonge St and St. Clair Avenue. The move freed up his former living space in the post office, allowing it to expand. He would commute to the post office on horseback.

During this busy time, Stayner offered Howard the newly created position of Post Office Surveyor of Upper Canada. Having recently relocated his family and happy with his job in Toronto, he declined the position (Charles Albert Berczy would accept the position). This decision would have "dire consequences" for Howard in the future.

Later years After losing his job at the Post Office, he was employed as Treasurer of the Home District from 1842 to 1866, also serving as Secretary of the Upper Canada Bible Society and serving on the Board of Education from 1846 to his death in 1866. At the time of issuance, Howard was a Justice of the Peace and the Treasurer of the United Counties of York and Peel.

Howard died on March 1, 1866, in Toronto, Canada West. Another source explains "Ultimately, the shadowy prejudices and self-interest of the ruling colonial elite, the Family Compact, conspired to deny justice to a man not part of the in-crowd. He fought and fought and fought for a year and a half, and eventually lost his house and his farm."