author
J. George (John George) Hodgins
1821–1912
An Irish-born educator and writer, he helped shape public schooling in Ontario and spent decades documenting how education developed in the province. His books and official work made him an important recorder of Canadian educational history.
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About the author
Born in Dublin on August 12, 1821, John George Hodgins moved to Upper Canada as a child and was educated at Upper Canada Academy, later Victoria College. He also studied law at the University of Toronto, but education became the work he was best known for.
Hodgins served for many years in the Ontario education department and worked closely with Egerton Ryerson. Alongside his administrative career, he wrote textbooks, historical works, and studies of school law, becoming one of the key chroniclers of how schools were organized and expanded in Ontario.
He is especially remembered for preserving the story of Canadian education in large documentary collections and historical compilations. Hodgins died in Toronto on December 23, 1912, leaving behind a body of work that is still useful to readers interested in the history of schools, government, and public life in Canada.