author
William Hodgson Ellis
1845–1920
A respected Toronto chemist and university leader, he also had a playful literary side. His 1914 collection Wayside Weeds blends wit, scholarship, nature, Canadian settings, and lively verse.
1 Audiobook
Wayside weeds
by William Hodgson Ellis
About the author
Born in Bakewell, Derbyshire, in 1845, William Hodgson Ellis moved with his family to North America and studied at the University of Toronto, earning degrees in natural science and medicine. He built his career in chemistry, teaching at Trinity College and the University of Toronto, where he later became Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.
Ellis was also a public analyst, forensic science consultant, photographer, and published poet. His best-known literary work, Wayside Weeds (1914), was collected by friends as a New Year’s gift and reflects his wide-ranging interests in nature, learning, angling, Canadian life, and playful literary satire. He died in Ontario in 1920.