Colonial Advocate – Upper Canada (Ontario), William Lyon Mackenzie, 1824

Scottish-born William Lyon Mackenzie (1795–1861), established the Colonial Advocate in 1824 in Queenston, Upper Canada. Through his journal, he became a fierce and effective critic of the ruling oligarchy known as the Family Compact. In November 1824, he moved to York (now Toronto), where in 1826 his newspaper became the target of a political attack by his opponents: his printing office was vandalized, his type was thrown into the lake, his printing press destroyed, and his family was harassed. Mackenzie sued the rioters and, with the damages awarded, paid off his creditors and resumed production of his newspaper.

In 1828, he was elected to the Parliament of Upper Canada. After York was renamed Toronto in 1834, Mackenzie became its first mayor. He continued to criticize the government and eventually led the 1837 Rebellion, advocating for more democratic control of governance. Following the issuance of a warrant for his arrest, he fled to Buffalo. Mackenzie was pardoned in 1849 and allowed to return to Canada.