George Brown (1818-1880) was the influential editor of the Toronto Globe, the most powerful newspaper in British North America. He was also leader of the Liberal Party, arch-rival of John A. Macdonald, and the statesman who held the key to Confederation at its most critical stage. This second volume traces the sectional conflict that brought political deadlock by 1864 and makes clear Brown’s vital function in finding a way out. It also sets out in meticulous detail his career after leaving party membership in 1867. This comprehensive two-volume biography of George Brown was first published in 1959 (volume 1) and 1963 (volume 2). In 1963, Professor Careless received the Governor General’s Award for the full biography.

J.M.S. Careless, University Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, was for many years Chairman of the Department of History. His historical research and writing have brought him many awards. In 1953, he won the Governor General's Award for Canada: A Story of Challenge, and in 1963 the same award for his two volume biography of George Brown, Brown of the Globe (reprinted by Dundurn Press in 1989). In 1985 he received the City of Toronto Book Award for Toronto to 1918. He holds honourary doctorates from seven universities. In 1981 he was created an Officer of Canada and in 1987 an Officer in the Order of Ontario.

J.M.S. Careless has been active in many historical societies and agencies. He has served as President of the Ontario Historical Society and the Canadian Historical Associations as well as being the Chair of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada and Chair of the Historical committee of the Ontario Heritage Foundation.

In 199 many of Professor Careless's former students and other colleagues contributed studies of their own to Old Ontario, Essays in Honour of J.M.S. Careless (Dundun Press) as a tribute.

J.M.S. Careless' profile page

"One of the best Canadian political biographies, an indispensible tool for understanding the age of Confederation, and far from the hagiography that Canadian scholars so often produce."

Canadian Literature