John Montgomery

Who was John Montgomery?

John Montgomery owned the tavern which served as a base for the rebels during the Upper Canada Rebellion. His establishment was the site of the Battle of Montgomery's Tavern.

He was born in Gagetown, New Brunswick, the son of Alexander Montgomery who came there from Stamford, Connecticut after the American Revolution. In 1798, the family moved to York in Upper Canada. Montgomery served on the Niagara frontier during the War of 1812 and fought in the Battle of Queenston Heights. He operated a number of taverns in the York area, including The Bird in the Hand at Yonge Street and Finch Avenue, in 1828. He leased this inn out in 1830, and that year began building Montgomery's Tavern further south on Yonge Street. Montgomery was also a road commissioner for York County and a director for the Mutual Insurance Company.

Sympathetic with the concerns of the Reformers, Montgomery helped send William Lyon Mackenzie to England in 1832 to present petitions to the British Colonial Office. He also helped found the Bank of the People in 1836.