Joseph Sheard

Who was Joseph Sheard?

Joseph Sheard was a Canadian architect and politician. He was Mayor of Toronto from 1871 to 1872.

Born in Hornsea, near Hull, Yorkshire, England, his father died when he was only 6 weeks old, leaving 4 young children to be raised by his mother. He quit school at the age of 9 and found a job as an apprentice with a barrel-maker.

He sailed from Hull on 15 April 1833 aboard the "Foster" landing in Quebec. He made his way by "Durham Boat" to Prescott, Upper Canada where he boarded the steamboat "William the Fourth" for York, arriving in Toronto in 1833.

He first was a carpenter, builder, and then became an architect in the 1840s. He built the Henry Cawthra house which was demolished in 1946. He also built the Ontario Bank building.

At the time of Confederation he was the Commissioner of Works and an Alderman in St. Patrick's Ward. He introduced the motion for the August "Civic holiday". In 1851, he is listed as an alderman, a building inspector, and an architect civil engineer. He designed the Dead house in St. Michael's Cemetery, and he helped design the Parliament Buildings of Canada in Ottawa.