Thomas O'Hagan

Born on March 6, 1855, in the Gore of Toronto, Thomas O'Hagan grew up in Ontario and went on to become a poet, educator, and academic. Sources consulted describe a remarkably long course of study: after St. Michael's College, he earned degrees from the University of Ottawa and Syracuse University, and also pursued further work at several other universities.

O'Hagan taught in Ontario schools and became known as a lecturer on literature. He wrote both poetry and prose, with books including A Gate of Flowers, In Dreamland and Other Poems, and later collected editions of his verse. He is also remembered for literary essays and for writing about Canadian authors and culture.

He died in 1939, but his work remains part of the record of early Canadian literature. More than just a poet, he seems to have been one of those writers who treated reading, teaching, and criticism as part of the same lifelong calling.